(MENAFN- The Peninsula) More than comedy, more than news: Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" took the genre of satirical journalism to new heights, becoming an important element in American political discourse.
The 52-year-old Stewart, who announced this week he is leaving the Comedy Central show this year after 16 years, created a widely acclaimed program that gave many viewers, especially young ones, a reason to care about the news.
Stewart and the show "made the news more relevant for a lot of young people," said Ken Paulson, president of the Newseum's First Amendment Center and former editor in chief at USA Today.
"It created an incentive for people to learn more about the world around them."
While the genre of satirical news is not new, "Stewart did it better than anyone else," said Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern University.
"He just seemed to have a smarter and more analytical take on the news than any of the predecessors, and as a result, I think Stewart emerged as our most perceptive media critic."
Stewart's show became a key stopping point for political leaders, including President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Senator John McCain and others.
The host offered an unabashedly liberal political slant, but was nonpartisan in his satire, poking fun at Obamacare as well as right-wing commentator Bill O'Reilly.
- A 'new genre' -
"The Daily Show" was not just fun and games. Media researchers discovered that satirical programs like Stewart's often informed viewers better about important topics than traditional newscasts.
A 2014 Pew Research Center report found 16 percent of Americans trusted the show, less than CNN and the New York Times, but more than some organizations like Bloomberg and The Economist.
Bruce Hardy, a research in political communication at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, said Stewart's show and its spinoffs essentially created a new kind of news program.
"We used to have a few minutes of satire on the late-night talk shows but to have an entire half-hour program of satire on the news, that's a new genre which has emerged in the past 15 years," Hardy said.
Hardy said satire is a positive force because it finds a way to engage viewers.
"Much of comedy is based on the element of surprise, and when people are surprised that increases their interest and engagement," he said.
Hardy said some research has shown that when people might watch these shows for the humor but then "went out to get more information" about a topic raised during a satirical news show.
Stewart "gave the news a comedic payoff and that kept people coming back," Paulson said.
"It's dismaying to learn that an entire generation gets their news from Jon Stewart but that's a lot better than not getting news at all."
"The Daily Show" has been a launchpad for numerous comedians over the last decade and a half, including Ed Helms, Steve Carrell, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver.
Stewart and "The Daily Show" have won 20 Primetime Emmys over the years, as well as numerous other awards.
His departure comes with the news media in a state of re-examination following the announcement that NBC television anchor Brian Williams was being suspended for six months off without pay for embellishing an Iraq war story.
Stewart joked this week that Williams was suffering from "infotainment confusion syndrome."
The juxtaposition of the two events in the media world elicited satirical comments, including one from Fox News, which wrote, "Should Jon Stewart and Brian Williams just switch jobs?".
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.