In the past decade various studies have examined how political humor may influence various political attitudes and voting behavior; whether it affects learning, cognition and media literacy, how it might shape political participation; how people process different forms of political humor; and more. This book is devoted to anticipating and addressing where the field of political humor and its effects will move in the next generation of scholarship, exploring the continued evolution of the study of political humor as well as the normative implications of these developments. It includes research accounting for important changes and developments "on the ground" in the political humor landscape. These include the fact that the cadre of late-night television hosts have completely changed in the past 3 years; there are now more late night television choices; and many hosts have become more overtly political in their presentations. Recommended for scholars of communication, media studies, and political science.
Introduction: Still Good for a Laugh? Political Humor in a Changing Media Landscape Jody C Baumgartner and Amy B. Becker Section I: Comedy, Advocacy, Journalism, or Something Else Entirely? It's Not Just Entertainment Anymore Chapter 1: The Rise of Advocacy Satire Don J. Waisanen Chapter 2: Journalist or Jokester? An Analysis of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Julia R. Fox Chapter 3: Partisan Trends in Late Night Humor S. Robert Lichter and Stephen J. Farnsworth Section II: Impacting Citizenship: The Effects of Exposure to Political Comedy on Democratic Engagement Chapter 4: The Limits of Attitude Change: Political Humor during the 2016 Campaign Jody C Baumgartner Chapter 5: Interviews and Viewing Motivations: Exploring Connections between Political Satire, Perceived Learning, and Elaborative Processing Amy B. Becker Chapter 6: Inoculation against/with Political Humor Josh Compton Section III: Humor Appreciation: Audience Responses to Political Comedy Chapter 7: The Political Ethology of Debate Humor and Audience Laughter: Understanding Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Their Audiences Patrick A. Stewart, Reagan Dye, and Austin Eubanks Chapter 8: The Joke is on You: Satire and Blowback Sophia A. McClennen Chapter 9: What is Funny to Whom? Applying an Integrative Theoretical Framework to the Study of Political Humor Appreciation Christiane Grill Section IV: It's Gone Global: International Perspectives on Political Comedy Chapter 10: Political Entertainment in Comparative Perspective: Exploring the Applicability of the Gateway Hypothesis across Media Systems Michael A. Xenos, Patricia Moy, Gianpietro Mazzoleni, and Julian Meuller-Herbst Chapter 11: The Causes and Consequences of Affinity for Political Humor Mark Boukes Chapter 12: Freedom of the Press in Israeli and American Satire Edo Steinberg Section V: Prospects for a New Generation of Laughter: The Evolution of Political Comedy Chapter 13: A New Generation of Satire Consumers?: A Socialization Approach to Youth Exposure to News Satire Stephanie A. Edgerly Chapter 14: The Context for Comedy: Presidential Candidates and Comedy Television Michael Parkin Chapter 15: The Ides of September: Jimmy Fallon, Donald Trump, and the Changing Politics of Late Night Television Jonathan S. Morris Conclusion: Looking Ahead to the Future: Why Laughing Will Matter Even More in the Decade to Come Amy B. Becker and Jody C Baumgartner Index About the Contributors
