Baym, G. 2007. ‘Crafting New Communicative
Models in the Televisual Sphere: Political Interviews on The Daily Show.’ The Communication Review 10(2): 93-115.
Geoffrey Baym, writes an intriguing journal
article exploring the rise in the use of Daily shows such as The Daily Show
with Jon Stewart as a means of political communication. Being a peer reviewed
journal article in a credible journal, The Communication Review, Geffory Baym
also actively teaches in the Department of Media at the University of North
Carolina, which offers credible insight and knowledge in to the workings of
media and communication. In the lead up to the 2004 presidential elections in
the US there was a massive embracement of using late-night comedy shows as a
platform for political discussion. Baym uses The Daily Show as his primary
example and strives to examine the way TDS uses rules from both ‘public affairs
and celebrity chat’ as a form of interaction. Baym largely commits this article
to the argument that while there may be no legislative drive behind it the use
of interviews used through TDS offers a much-needed change to the political
communication. The conclusion of the argument suggests that The Daily Show
offers an example of a communication that ‘constructs argument and demands
accountability’. The three other media sources that will be annotated allow
support to the article and show the increase of politicians using platforms of
entertainment as ways to communicate. While this journal article was published
in 2007 and may hinder the accurate account of current political communication
it certainly has credible argument towards the increase of political use
through entertainment based television shows.
Ross, M. 2004. ‘Younger Americans get news
from a new place’. MSNBC.com.
Accessed on May 25 2012. Available at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5520569/ns/politics/t/younger-americans-get-news-new-place/#.T78X7mj7I20
Reporter and News Editor for MSNBC.com,
Michael E. Ross, has a standing reputation for reporting on trends in politics,
culture and race in America. His long resume includes The New York Times, the
San Jose Mercury News and many other news channels. While the credibility of
MSNBC may have declined over the recent years Ross’s work and long line of
credible experience allows this article to be reliable. The article addresses
the January report from the pew regarding young Americans that get their
election news from late-night comedy shows. The report found that 21% of young
Americans from the ages 18-29 were accessing their election news from shows
that were mentioned in the journal article text such as The Daily Show. The article seems to take a biased view towards
using comedy shows as political news. Ross uses a Syracuse University Academic,
Robert J Thompson, who argues that using these avenues, as a source of news is
‘a bad thing, pure and simple’. This article fits well with the text by Graham
Baym and shows support to the argument that there is an increase in the use of
daily shows as a platform for political communication.
Gray, M. 2007. ‘Campaigning in Late Night’.
Time.com. Accessed May 25 2012.
Available at http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1657421,00.html
Time.com Producer and Writer, Madison Gray
has an impressive backing of experience behind her. Like Michael Ross from one
of the other texts of this annotated bibliography, Gray, also has experience
with large and credible news organizations such as The New York Times. As well
as Internet news experience she also has had a hand at a weekly podcast and a
radio consultant in Ghana. As with the other two texts, Gray highlights the
growing use of comedy late night shows for political communication. This text now
looks at an event in which Hilary Clinton appears –for the seventh time- on the
Late Night With David Letterman show
and notes how she has become a regular interviewee and has even used the Letterman show to announce her candidacy
for the U.S Senate in 2000. Like the previous text by Ross, Gray addresses the
Pew Center study that suggests a large majority of voters get their political
information from these shows. However this text takes into account an
alternative view that allows the premise that this stimulates political
participation and offers a personal side to the political leaders that
traditional news would perhaps not show. It is becoming an obvious trend that
the proliferation of political communication through these channels is a
notable change throughout the evolution of politics and communication.
Burkeman, O. 2009. ‘Obama sells economic
plan on Leno show.’ The Guardian.
Accessed May 24 2012. Available at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/20/barack-obama-economic-recovery-plan
British Journalist, Oliver Burkeman is a
writer for the world-known newspaper The Guardian. Burkeman is perhaps one of
the most praised out of the journalists used in other texts receiving Foreign
Press Association’s Young Journalist of the Year as well as being shortlisted
for the Orwell Prize. Burkemans achievements along with his notable job create
a credible source for this text.
The article explores President Obama and his appearance on another
late-night comedy show, Tonight Show with
Jay Leno. Obama surprisingly used his time on the show to pitch his plan
for economic recovery. While the other three texts may have expressed an
argument towards using these platforms to show a more personal side of
politicians, Burkeman used press spokesman, Robert Gibbs, who noted that this
appearance was not a humorous visit but rather a policy building towards
Obama’s economic plan. This last text is a more recent event that shows the way
that political leaders such as President Obama still use the platform of a
comedy talk show as way to interact and address the public. While the other
three text may have become a bit out dated this texts offers a still standing
argument towards the increasing use of talk shows.
