In this completely revised and updated edition (including eight new
chapters), Jeffrey Jones charts the evolution and maturation of
political entertainment television by examining The Daily Show with Jon
Stewart, The Colbert Report, Politically Incorrect/Real Time with Bill
Maher, and Michael Moore's TV Nation and The Awful Truth. This volume
investigates how and why these shows have been central locations for the
critique of political and economic power and an important resource for
citizens during numerous political crises. In an age of Truthiness, fake
news and humorous political talk have proven themselves viable forms of
alternative reporting and critical means for ascertaining truth, and in
the process, questioning the legitimacy of news media's role as the
primary mediator of political life. The book also addresses the
persistent claims that these programs have cynical effects and create
misinformed young citizens, demonstrating instead how such programming
provides for an informed, active, and meaningful citizenship. The new
edition takes account of the many changes that have occurred in
television and political culture since Entertaining Politics' initial
release.