Politics as Entertainment: Comedy or Tragedy?

by Gene Rose

Although Russell Peterson once worked as a stand-up comedian, he now doesn't see politics as a laughing matter.

Peterson has written a book, "Strange Bedfellows: How Late-Night Comedy Turns Democracy Into a Joke." In this Chicago Tribune article, Peterson says the cumulative effect of TV comedians treating all office holders as "corrupt, laughable, puffed-up egomaniacs" damages democracy.

I haven't read the book yet, but his point is one that we hear expressed from time to time. The Tribune article references a Pew Research Center for the People and the Press report that claimed one in five people aged 18 to 29 got their political information from late-night comics. Online debate raged on whether this is a good or bad trend.

We can't just blame the comedians though. A relatively small number of politicians provide the late-night comedian a generous source of material. The problem, as Peterson suggests, is that the entire public service industry gets painted with that large brush.

And still, politicians can't tear themselves away. This New York Times article provides a great glimpse on how politicians are trying to capitalize on the large audience television attracts. The article talks about the president being on Deal or No Deal and the Democratic  presidential candidates appearing on The Colbert Report before the Pennsylvania primary. Chicago Tribune columnist Phil Rosenthal wrote about how all three main presidential candidates taped messages for World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw program. Poynter columnist Al Tompkins points out comedians have been using politicians as foils for a long time.

We've discussed in this blog how the entertainment industry portrays politicians. Late night comedians are guilty of exploiting politicians for their own benefit. Does it hurt democracy, as Peterson and others have suggested? I suggest it does, especially when public servants provide the punchlines. However, the politicians who understand the power of the medium can use it as a platform to promote democracy. There are some good ones out there, but we could use a few more.