Sunday, September 28, 2008

Satire and the Race for the Oval Office.

WHILE JOURNALISTS hold on to the old ideal of objectivity, entertainment television runs with the political satire (like the SNL clip above).

Is it fair for folks like Tina Fey to mock Sarah Palin? Should David Letterman be punished for spending more than half of a recent show making fun of John McCain?

By the way, the real Katie Couric interview with Sarah Palin is below:

18 comments:

Joe said...

you know i really don't think so... i was reading spin today. not something i find myself doing often but i digress... and you know, theyre openly supporting obama just like every other publication but i really just didn't feel like it's their place! same goes for letterman...

Anonymous said...

Early in the SNL skit, when Couric asks Palin how New York has treated her, she responded by saying that it is home to the liberal media elite. Despite its jovial nature, this comment is, in itself, a perfect response to the question at hand. It obviously represents the disposition of Sarah Palin and the liberal, satirical media. Why wouldn't a popular comedy-sketch show compose a skit in which they mock the vice-presidential candidate? They are fulfilling their political responsibility to object in a gleeful manner. This is just as vital a responsibility as Katie Couric's; to accurately inform the public of Sarah Palin's policy. And furthermore, SNL is a broadcast of NBC, and thus NBC recognizes this duality of the media and it's own journalistic responsibility.

Megan McCue Journalism said...

AS SNL and David Letterman aren't exactly Journalism, I don't see anything wrong with it. They make humor out of tons of things. People don't watch those shows for facts and are aware it is exxagerated or not true. I do think the media puts down McCain/Palin a lot and is biased toward Obama/Biden but it is probably okay for these comedy shows to do so, as they are not news outlets.

Dan said...

they are entertainment, SNL is not a news broadcast, not even in the same vein as Mr Colbert or John Stewart. SNL has always made fun of everyone.

Letterman had a particular reason to be so blatant against Mccain, particularly that McCain had an appointment with him and then stood him up to go to another show, however he did not tell Letterman that he was going to another show, he said he was 'rushing back to Washington'

Anonymous said...

That lady is crazy..did anyone know who she was before she started running? Okay, I digress. But seriously, satire is satire. Everyone`s going to get criticized, its something that`s going to happen. If you`re gonna object, why not make it funny? Blah.

Anonymous said...

That lady is crazy..did anyone know who she was before she started running? Okay, I digress. But seriously, satire is satire. Everyone`s going to get criticized, its something that`s going to happen. If you`re gonna object, why not make it funny? Blah.

Cara said...

First of all, its unfortunate that the media has done its best to completely exploit Governor Palin. I don't think there's anything wrong with Palin and its sad to see so many people making fun of here when they can't even come up with valid arguments to discuss concerning her political views. Then again, Governor Palin openly agreed to become a public figure, and in doing so, allowed herself to be open to criticism and exploitation. Saturday Night Live isn't journalism, its a show for entertainment and theres nothing wrong with it. Shows like this become a problem, however, when viewers make accusations about Governor Palin and can't even support their arguments. Like calling her "crazy" for example. No, tell me what she was before she started running?

Cara said...

Did you know that Barack's vice president, Joe Biden, lied about what college he went to on his resume? Please...

Anonymous said...

SNL is not a news program, and neither is the Dave Letterman show. People watch these shows for their entertainment value, and the fact that it can make them laugh. SNL makes fun of anyone in the public eye that is popular at the moment. Whether it be popular in a positive or negative way. The writers found a skit that the American public enjoyed and they ran with it. Now a days it is difficult to be in the public eye and not get mocked in some way.

Anonymous said...

Look, Saturday Night Live has the right to portray anyone in any light they choose. It is a satirical show. One thing people have to understand is that ITS COMEDY NOT MEET THE PRESS! Also, if Pailin didn't give them anything to poke fun at then they couldn't do those skits that the republicans feel are so wrong. Also, I believe that the republicans are just pissed that publications dont endorse mccain to be quite honest. if they were endorsing Mccain then they wouldn't be saying anything against them. each editorial staff has the right to select who they endorse. I just wish that everyone, media included, would just shit the hell up and give up the issues and the candidates stances on those issues instead of all this trash talking between the parties.

summergirl said...

SNL can do political satire all they want. They're not claiming to be a news corporation with objective reporting. They're entertainment. Stopping them from mocking the candidates would be a total affront to the First Ammendment.

Anonymous said...

SNL makes fun of everyone. Earlier in the campaign before Obama was announced as the democratic candidate, SNL was making fun of Obama -and- the media for how they covered it. SNL isn't journalism, it's entertainment. They can make fun of whoever they want.

Comedy shows and entertainment shows don't have the same standards they have to uphold as news outlets do, because they're not news outlets. No one watches comedy shows because we trust them to provide us with accurate information, we watch comedy shows to laugh at things that real news outlets can't make fun of.

Personally, I think people relate better to prominant figures when they're being made fun of. It humanizes them. Comedy serves an important purpose, and limiting them to the standards of news folk is silly.

Anonymous said...

When you are in the public light people have the right and the obligation to talk about you. it can go to far, like the up comming Sarah Palin porn, but a SNL skit is nothing to get your panties in a bunch

Anonymous said...

people who put themselves in the public eye are open to peoples' opinions and comments. Some people say that imitating is the greatest form of flattery. Although they are making fun of her, SNL creates satires of people, that is their business. Don't take offense, just sit back and laugh.

Anonymous said...

As an adamant supporter of the McCain-Palin campaign, I see nothing wrong with what SNL is doing. Tina Faye makes one heck of a good Palin impersonator, and although traditionally liberal, SNL is making fun of both campaigns pretty equally. I say it's just good entertainment.

Anonymous said...

I think that doing this, mocking presidential candidates and what not, is alright as long as is done to both parties. It would not be fair if television shows like SNL and David Letterman only ridiculed one party all of the time. I am sure that some people agree with the impersonations of these people, both republicans and democrats, depending on who is being mocked. However, it does not necessarily express the views of that show nor does it force viewers to be for or against a candidate. As stated before in a previous post, it really is purely for entertainment purposes.

Anonymous said...

I feel as though this may not be fair... but it will happen. I personally would not like to be mocked but in reality, that is the point of shows like SNL. They have mocked people in the past such as Harry Potter all the way up to Destiny's Child and Beyonce. They will mock who they want when they want in order to get views and ratings. Even Palin's sister said that they did a good job although she was only speaking of the physical appearance. As long as Palin is able to prove that what SNL showed was just humor and not reality she should do fine in her campaign. These shows do have an affect on the public but it is completely up to her whether or not she will let them define her and what she stands for. I think she should just laugh at it just like I did...

Anonymous said...

SNL makes fun of a lot of people and just because Palin is now the butt of the joke,doesn't mean its not fair anymore.