It appears to me that after reading my fellow classmates
blogs there is a general impression that satirical news reportage is equally
reliable as traditional news reportage. My classmates have made many
interesting points about the reliability of satirical news that I will attempt
to explain to you.
Although there has been some arguments stating that comedic
news is not real news the general opinions of my classmates appear to be that not only is it real news but in some cases it is also the preferred news. As stated by
Lynden Boston “I tend to like to watch the satirical programs more than the
actual news because you not only get the base of what is going on but you also
get a little chuckle out of the skits and the way they display the news”. I
happen to agree with this statement. I also prefer to watch the more comedic
programs because they are able to deliver the same information but in an entertaining
way that makes you want to pay attention. Yes they may deliver less facts then
the traditional news and in a much different way but it is still the same
information being presented and therefore is equally as reliable as traditional
news.
Lynden was not the only classmate’s blog I read that had
this opinion other classmate’s stated similar ideas. In Khalil Stemmler’s blog
they stated “ satirical news reporting is a good addition to the public sphere
solely if the viewer is in understanding that satirical news reporting is in
fact satirical” and that it is important for the audience to understand that “whether
or not you believe what is being conveyed to you is entirely your decision”. Meaning
that these types of news sources our just as reliable as long as you are able
to separate the comedic aspects from the facts. Sanjeet Mavi also agreed that it
was a good addition to the public sphere stating “I would say that satirical
news reportage is a useful addition to the public sphere because they do tend
to grab the attention of the viewers and get them thinking critically about
their political views or the products that they wish to buy”. The overall
opinion seem to be that satirical news is just as reliable as traditional news
as long as you understand the difference between the comedic aspects of the
reporting the facts that they are trying to convey.
The implications that this might have on the continued
viability of our contemporary public sphere is that more people are going to be
turning towards satirical news reporting and less towards the traditional
factual news reporting which could lead to the elimination of traditional news altogether and the government and other important people having less control over what is being presented in the news since they can no longer censor it.
http://boston94.blogspot.ca/
- Lynden Boston
http://mavisanjeet.wordpress.com/
- Sanjeet Mavi