Political Humor in a Changing Media Landscape

Jody C Baumgartner is Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of political science at East Carolina University. Amy B. Becker is associate professor in the Department of Communication at Loyola University Maryland.

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