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