The Impudence of Being Earnest: Jon Stewart and the Boundaries of Discursive Responsibility

Carlson, Matt; Peifer, Jason T.

doi:10.1111/jcom.12019

Cited by 19 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Such satire frequently provides an open-ended rather than a funny punch line, which makes the relief of tension that lighter forms of humor cause unlikely (Paletz, 1990). Exactly this kind of more serious and "earnest" political satire (Carlson & Peifer, 2013) is recently gaining popularity both in the United States (Last Week Tonight; Full Frontal) and Europe (Zondag met Lubach). With their serious undertone and via its potential to create understanding, such "serious" kinds of satire may thus set the public agenda.…”

Section: Satire and The Public Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The relationship between satire shows as this and journalism is tense (Feldman, 2007), because satirists regularly perform the role of media critic (Borden & Tew, 2007;Brewer & Marquardt, 2007), parody the news genre (Meddaugh, 2010), and hold the news media accountable for not living up to ethical or professional standards (Painter & Hodges, 2010). Moreover, journalists experience discomfort and struggle with the combination of entertainment and information that satirists display, especially when satirists exhibit "earnestness" in their presentation of topics (Carlson & Peifer, 2013). As the boundary between humor and seriousness in satire is so thin, it is hard for journalists to decide whether its content is newsworthy enough to consider it "real" politics.…”

Section: Intermedia Agenda-settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Agenda-Setting With Satire: How Political Satire Increased TTIP’s Saliency on the Public, Media, and Political Agenda

Boukes¹

2018

Political Communication

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Agenda-setting has mostly been investigated as the cognitive process set in motion by the salience of political issues in the traditional news media. The question, though, remained whether political entertainment shows-political satire, specifically-can also set the agenda. The current study investigates whether two episodes of Dutch satire show Zondag met Lubach (ZML) about the European Union-United States trade agreement Transatlantic Trade Investment and Partnership (TTIP) have triggered first-level agendasetting effects. For that purpose, three studies have been conducted to investigate the threestep agenda-setting process (i.e., learning, understanding, acting) from saliency in satire to saliency on the public agenda, but also on the media and political agenda. Study 1: A twowave panel survey shows that consumption of the satire show positively affected knowledge acquisition about TTIP, which is the first step in the cognitive process underlying agendasetting. Study 2: A randomized experiment demonstrated that exposure to ZML increased the perceived understanding of TTIP, which subsequently had a positive impact on the saliency of TTIP on the public agenda. Study 3: Longitudinal time-series data provide evidence that the saliency of TTIP on the public agenda-short term-and on the political agenda-long term-were positively affected by the ZML satire episodes. The study, altogether, demonstrates satire's ability to set the agenda of both the individual and aggregate level and emphasizes the persistent relevance of agenda-setting theory in today's high-choice media environment.

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Section: Satire and The Public Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Intermedia Agenda-settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agenda-Setting With Satire: How Political Satire Increased TTIP’s Saliency on the Public, Media, and Political Agenda

Boukes¹

2018

Political Communication

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“…15). Relevant to current discussions about “the boundaries of discursive responsibility” in comic communication (Carlson and Peifer , 333), and whether through comedians own imaginings of these limits or by way of feedback from audience laughter, some countervailing barriers materialize. Since the president's role is so wrapped up with the creation and implementation of war and similar policies, an ability to move beyond the boundaries of serious framings of hostility appeared curtailed across the presidential speeches .…”

Section: Turning Presidential Crises Into Punchlinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comedian‐in‐Chief: Presidential Jokes as Enthymematic Crisis Rhetoric

Waisanen

2015

Pres Stud Q

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To understand how jokes have functioned as part of U.S. presidents' strategic communication, this project examined every available White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD) speech over the last century, documenting various presidents' approaches to humor. I argue that the ability to talk about difficult or taboo subjects through jokes' deeply enthymematic ways of communicating has offered presidents expanded rhetorical spaces during crises, providing insights into why they started using humor with such routine frequency. Working with multiple factors shaping the modern presidency, presidents have used the elastic and inventive nature of enthymematic joking in attempts to move pressing issues outside immediate lines of criticism. The use of jokes in presidential communication is charted through three periods of WHCD. Several implications are drawn from this analysis, including the risks of humor as a rhetorical strategy.

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“…They explained that Stewart-who has long been known for his satire, most recently displayed through his hosting of the politically laden nightly news program, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart-has been able to encourage this shift in the landscape of the news reporting media through a unique mix of humor, earnestness, and political positioning. 15 Of the rationales presented by Carlson and Peifer (2013) explaining the ascendency of Stewart, the most pertinent and transposable to the success of @LAKings is the concept of earnestness. Carlson and Peifer (2013) used a working definition of earnestness that defines the concept as, ''A perceived trait of authenticity and sincerity, undergirded by strong convictions and serious intention'' (p. 337).…”

Section: Introducing the @Lakingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embracing the Social in Social Media

Armstrong

Delia

Giardina

2014

Communication & Sport

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This article addresses the rise of social media in professional sport and the varying ways in which sport organizations have interacted with consumers in the social media environment. We examine one particularly interesting case: The innovative social media marketing practices of the Los Angeles Kings hockey organization, most especially through its twitter account @LAKings. Through the use of digital ethnography, we analyze and interpret official statements produced within the context of the Kings marketing and consumer strategies. We argue that the Los Angeles Kings' social media strategy illustrates the potential collaborative efforts of an organization and its consumers in a social media space. This ''coexistence'' between brand and consumer provides the organization an opportunity to encourage relationship development and brand community.

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The Impudence of Being Earnest: Jon Stewart and the Boundaries of Discursive Responsibility

Cited by 19 publications

References 28 publications

Agenda-Setting With Satire: How Political Satire Increased TTIP’s Saliency on the Public, Media, and Political Agenda

Agenda-Setting With Satire: How Political Satire Increased TTIP’s Saliency on the Public, Media, and Political Agenda

Comedian‐in‐Chief: Presidential Jokes as Enthymematic Crisis Rhetoric

Embracing the Social in Social Media

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