Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Should Real Journalists Make Fake News?

Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon did a bit with a bunch of local news anchors from NBC affiliates in which the news anchors presented fake news as though it were real.

Is there anything wrong with that? Does it undermine their credibility to do real news? Or is it just good, harmless fun?

5 comments:

Julia Chiango said...

This is just good, harmless fun. I really don't see an issue with it as long as they are doing their true job when it is necessary. Everyone needs to have a little bit of fun once in awhile. All of these reporters are credible from what i know of so as long as they report what they need to on the real news I don't see a problem with this.

Unknown said...


I believe that credible journalists doing “fake news” for a comedy show is not a major offence nor does it undermine the credibility of the actual news. I believe this issue largely rests on the responsibility of the public in that they should be able to recognize that late-night shows such as Jimmy Fallon are comedy talk shows intended to satirize aspects of our society. While it is the responsibility of journalists to accurately inform the public of worldly events, it also the responsibility of the public to think critically and determine the validity of certain claims in the news. In addition, Jimmy Fallon made the distinction that the clips of the journalists reporting on fake news were “stores that we wish were true,” indicating that they did not actually occur. I believe that these “news” clips were intended for comedy purposes the journalists who agreed to participate have distinguished themselves as credible and are therefore are able to make occasional appearances on comedy shows.

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't say Jimmy Fallon is a credible source but is a comedian who points out the humor is the news. This reminds me of the Daily Show. Yes, the news is real on the Daily Show but to an extent they are making fun (satire) of what is going on in the government, politics, news and other happenings going on in the world.
I the Daily Show and Jimmy Fallon are not credible news sources because their humor directs the audience one way. They are more credible then The Onion, (obviously).
-Lizzy McNeill
Journalism and Society T&TH @11

Dan O'Neill said...

Like I said before with the story about the journalist in the beauty pagent, journalists are humans, too, and every once and awhile, they like to have a little bit of fun. In this case, I think it's good, harmless fun and nothing more. Sure, one could look at it as a way of undermining their journalistic integrity, but I think it's also a way of showing the general public that they have a sense of humor too and aren't constantly bogged down by the ugliness of today's news. And considering it's on Jimmy Fallon, it's news that should totally be taken with a grain of salt, considering the show is made for the sole purpose of entertaining.

Unknown said...

I think that as long as it is on a show known for satire and you can tell that the journalist is just joking than journalists can be able to make fake news because it is pretty harmless once you know it's not serious. Furthermore the humor of the journalist might appeal to the audience and actually make the audience want to see the journalist do the real news after watching them be satirical.