After looking through some of my classmates’ blog entries on
satirical news and its value in our society, I have realised two very important
commonalities in the opinions of my peers. Firstly, many of my peers believe satirical
news shows to be more revealing than regular news broadcasts; and secondly, people
are starting to turn away from the modified stories that the media offers in
its regular news broadcasts, simply because viewers are becoming more and more
aware of this on-going modification.
Keenan
Beaumont (http://keenbeau80.wordpress.com)mentioned
in his blog that he thinks satirical media is a true form of culture jamming in
our society. He also mentions how regular news-broadcasts are often prevented
from revealing all the facts involved in these stories; and satirical news
simply allows people to form their own opinions about certain public occurrences. He believes satirical news shows are a part
of culture-jamming, and that they do have a place in our public sphere. I
personally agree with what Keegan is saying here because I have always
classified satirical television shows as the “call-out shows” of our society;
or in other terms, a show that reveals unrevealed evidence and allows us to
form our own opinion on certain events. Regular news is the summary but
satirical news shows are the summary AND the (comic) reflection.
Ms.
Hough (http://nhough95.wordpress.com/)
mentioned in her blog that culture jamming has always been referred to as a way
to advertise. Therefore, satirical news shows’ attempt to point out the faults
of prominent figures becomes a serious problem; simply because it is taken as a
negative advertisement. I do agree with what Ms. Hough is saying here, however
at the same time I believe there is a distinction between satirical media and
satirical politics. I also believe that culture-jamming is still a vital part
of our well-informed public sphere. People can call satirical news shows fake,
however the way I see it is an opportunity to see stories from another (comical
yet realistic) view; and an opportunity for viewers to form their own opinions.
Elana
Dulberg (http://elanadulberg.wordpress.com/)
stated in her blog that she believes “shows that frequently culture-jam such as
Jimmy Kimmel and SNL are now becoming a mainstream form of media”.
Respectfully, I disagree. The regular news broadcasts we see everyday still reign
supreme. I believe the reason why satirical television shows have not become
mainstream forms of media is because of the connotations still surrounding
these shows. People still believe these shows to be false informed, attacking
and too lay-back. I believe if satirical television was not still surrounded
with these connotations, it would be considered an ideal place to learn
information. This is because it informs us about events from a different view(even
the bad-side) and allows us to form opinions of our own.
Jake Coetzee