Collegiate Times

Some people prefer to call it “Yellow Journalism,” which is defined by our favorite source Wikipedia as “a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers.” 

Others call it “Muckraking Journalism,” or “reform-oriented journalists who wrote largely for popular magazines who continued a tradition of investigative journalism,” yet political satire is neither. In actuality, it is both. 

Like many students, I often get my news from guys like Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart more so than people named Brian Williams or Scott Pelley. Shows like Stewart’s and Colbert’s are interesting and witty, while simultaneously informing viewers on the day’s events. 

However, because their primary goal is comedy, political satirists remain hindered by the stigmas of clowning, biased and even unrealistic presentation of the news.

I know, I know, they are on Comedy Central, HBO and Saturday Night Live, and they’re only comedians. But do you know who the most real people on earth are? Your mother and comedians. Comedians are paid to point out the hilarities, the differences and the things people often miss out on, both by accident and on purpose. Steve Harvey, one of the “Original Kings of Comedy,” said in one of his stand ups he had a third eye — which he called a blessing and a curse — because he saw things most people didn’t.

The recent film “Man of the Year,” is a movie about a comedian, played by Robin Williams, who hosts a satirical show, eventually decides to run for president and somehow wins the election. It has a pretty interesting plot, but doesn’t it remind you of something? 

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A version of this article appeared in the Feb 9 issue of the Collegiate Times.