PC Police Drive New Age of Broadcast Journalism

BY: Mitchell Green

In 2015 political correctness and censorship is king. It has gotten so bad that popular comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bill Burr and Larry the Cable Guy have stopped doing college tours all together, because they feel that they are handcuffed by political correctness, referring to the younger generation as the “PC Police”. Possessing this knowledge about the popularity of political  correctness, if one was to be the head of a popular news station that’s revenue is driven by ratings, politically correct, safe broadcasts would be what would keep viewers tuned in and ratings high, right?... Wrong! As Americans continue to become more sensitive over what is broadcasted they have chosen to get their news from comedy driven channels with anchors who have also been stand-up comedians and bring a certain bluntness to their broadcasts, while traditional news outlets such as Fox and CNN have fallen in popularity among young people. How does that make sense? A generation that is so politically correct that stand-up comedians are avoiding them choose the blunt comedic driven news source over the politically correct, safer outlets. The answer to this conundrum is two-fold, Firstly, Comedic shows such as The Daily Show and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver offer what I would term as relief from censorship for those who watch so that they can listen to news that is saying what they are thinking or even if they do not agree with the message it is refreshing to hear someone say what they truly believe. For, the second group who love political correctness the way that these broadcasts get away with saying what they want is that John Oliver and other hosts deliver their message with comedy, this camouflages the direct message so that it can sneak pass the body cavity search of the PC police. Basic message is get people to laugh and you can sneak a lot of information in.

Secondly, in 2015 we dissect everything whether it is a tweet, a retirement speech or a thank you note. This happens because we as humans, thanks to social media have an unprecedented access to each other’s personal lives, so we leave no stone unturned when it comes to public broadcasts or statements. This is where the comedic shows are a cut above traditional news broadcasts, following Jon Stewart's format from the Daily Show, the bulk of most comedic news broadcasts are critiquing and poking fun at poorly done news broadcasting by the traditional news networks. This works because the younger generation can relate; whether it is watching TMZ or scrutinizing Kanye’s last tweet we love to nit-pick the established and these shows brilliantly, play right in to that obsession.

Lastly, this phase of the news being delivered by comedians is not a flash in the pan but is a new style of broadcast journalism that is on the rise with Comedy Central adding a new version of  the Daily Show what seems like every couple months. What will networks like Fox and CNN do? My prediction is that within three years, maybe five for Fox, they will each be green lighting their own version of a comedy driven news broadcast. When citizens trust the news they receive from comedians more than news anchors does it say more about the people consuming the news or those who are producing it?