Political Humor in a Changing Media Landscape: A New Generation of Research

353 Pages·2018·3.233 MB·English

by  Jody C. Baumgartner, Amy B. Becker

Political Humor in
a Changing Media
Landscape
Lexington Studies in Political Communication
Series Editor: Robert E. Denton, Jr., Virginia Tech University
This series encourages focused work examining the role and function of communication in
the realm of politics including campaigns and elections, media, and political institutions.
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Political Humor in
a Changing Media
Landscape
A New Generation of Research
Edited by
Jody C Baumgartner and Amy B. Becker
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Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
Introduction: Still Good for a Laugh? Political Humor in a
Changing Media Landscape 1
Jody C Baumgartner and Amy B. Becker
SECTION I: COMEDY, ADVOCACY, JOURNALISM,
OR SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY? IT’S NOT JUST
ENTERTAINMENT ANYMORE 9
1 The Rise of Advocacy Satire 11
Don J. Waisanen
2 Journalist or Jokester? An Analysis of Last Week
Tonight with John Oliver 29
Julia R. Fox
3 Partisan Trends in Late Night Humor 45
S. Robert Lichter and Stephen J. Farnsworth
SECTION II: IMPACTING CITIZENSHIP: THE EFFECTS
OF EXPOSURE TO POLITICAL COMEDY
ON DEMOCRATIC ENGAGEMENT 59
4 The Limits of Attitude Change: Political Humor
during the 2016 Campaign 61
Jody C Baumgartner
v
vi Contents
5 Interviews and Viewing Motivations: Exploring
Connections between Political Satire, Perceived
Learning, and Elaborative Processing 79
Amy B. Becker
6 Inoculation against/with Political Humor 95
Josh Compton
SECTION III: HUMOR APPRECIATION: AUDIENCE
RESPONSES TO POLITICAL COMEDY 115
7 The Political Ethology of Debate Humor and Audience
Laughter: Understanding Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton,
and Their Audiences 117
Patrick A. Stewart, Reagan G. Dye, and Austin D. Eubanks
8 The Joke Is On You: Satire and Blowback 137
Sophia A. McClennen
9 What Is Funny to Whom? Applying an Integrative Theoretical
Framework to the Study of Political Humor Appreciation 157
Christiane Grill
SECTION IV: IT’S GONE GLOBAL: INTERNATIONAL
PERSPECTIVES ON POLITICAL COMEDY 183
10 Political Entertainment in Comparative Perspective:
Exploring the Applicability of the Gateway Hypothesis
across Media Systems 185
Michael A. Xenos, Patricia Moy, Gianpietro Mazzoleni, and
Julian Mueller-Herbst
11 The Causes and Consequences of Affinity for Political Humor 207
Mark Boukes
12 Freedom of the Press in Israeli and American Satire 233
Edo Steinberg
SECTION V: PROSPECTS FOR A NEW GENERATION OF
LAUGHTER: THE EVOLUTION OF POLITICAL COMEDY 251
13 A New Generation of Satire Consumers? A Socialization
Approach to Youth Exposure to News Satire 253
Stephanie A. Edgerly
Contents vii
14 The Context for Comedy: Presidential Candidates and
Comedy Television 273
Michael Parkin
15 The Ides of September: Jimmy Fallon, Donald Trump, and the
Changing Politics of Late Night Television 293
Jonathan S. Morris
Conclusion: Looking Ahead to the Future: Why Laughing and
Political Humor Will Matter Even More in the Decade to Come 309
Amy B. Becker and Jody C Baumgartner
Index 319
About the Contributors 335

List of Figures
Figure 5.1 Interview Exposure, Affinity for Entertaining News,
and Elaborative Processing 86
Figure 11.1 Affinity for Political Humor by Enjoyment of Satire 222
Figure 11.2 The Dual Role AFPH Could Play in Research on
Political Satire 224
Figure 14.1 Comedic Appearances by Campaign Year 278
Figure 14.2 Number of Presidential Candidates by Year 282
ix