Hallie Jones

EN 102

Response Essay

4 February 2020

Don’t Be Fake

Is The Daily Show fake news? The Daily Show brings insightful humor and comedy to

today's top headlines and issues. Jason Zinser, a teacher for evolutionary biology and

environmental philosophies at the University of North Florida, argues this question in his article

“The Good, the Bad, and The Daily Show.” Zinser’s article explains the effects of watching The

Daily Show and how “fake” news affects the people watching (363-379). Zinser’s purpose was to

tell whether fake news is harmful or helpful. On the one hand, Zinser correctly argues that

everyone needs to be informed on issues and making those issues comical will help individuals

today be interested; on the other hand, Zinser is correct that important information can easily

come from a skit but is wrong that fictional aspects should be added.

In a democratic state, citizens need to be informed about current issues going on in the

world. Zinser agrees with that statement and goes on to state, “The dissemination of news is

extremely important for them to be informed” (364). I agree that sharing information on current

issues on news shows is important, and this is a point that needs to be emphasized since many

people believe all news they see, even if it is fake news. In other words, accurately informing the

community about relevant issues will help guide the future courses of the country. For instance,

when it comes to elections, individuals need to know information about politics to vote, and

news shows are supposed to be a great source of information. Therefore, I believe that no matter
what source individuals get their information from, they need to know the basics of what is

happening in today's world.

Keeping viewers tuned into news shows is difficult. However, using comedy and humor

can be helpful. Zinser compares by saying, “Like sneaking vegetables onto a pizza, The Daily

Show delivers the news in a way better suited to our ever-shrinking attention spans” (370). I

agree that comedy and humor hold more viewers’ attention based on my experience in today's

world. The Daily Show informs us in simpler ways for us to be intrigued by what we are

learning. The Daily Show gives enough information for people to know about and understand

certain issues that are going on around the world. This is helpful for viewers who are just

watching for entertainment because the show can sneak in important news facts.

Regardless of the reason people tune in, those who watch are being informed about the

world; however, they are also consuming some fictional elements. Zinser states, “The jokes and

skits are based on, and peppered with, real news items and real stories. Whether people tune in to

be entertained, to be informed, or both, the fact is The Daily Show shapes people’s perspective on

the world” (366). I agree that it is important for people to be informed about world issues, even if

the information has to be comical for them to tune in. Although I agree with Zinser up to a point,

I cannot accept his overall conclusion that news stories should only be “peppered” with facts. If

there are only a couple of facts, viewers are not getting enough information to understand what is

actually going on. In addition, a comedian does not have the qualifications or credibility to talk

about newsworthy events. They create jokes and skits with real elements, but fictional parts are

also added to make it comical for individuals to watch. Overall, comedy skits are great, what

they are joking about should be true in its entirety.

 The Daily Show is a comical show where comedians share news stories. This is helpful to

individuals who want to know about world issues but need to learn about them through

entertainment. The idea of making the news stories into jokes and skits helps people today stay

tuned into news issues. However, individuals can be misled because comedians are not telling

the whole story or are adding their own fictional spin. Therefore, I agree with Zinser’s

conclusion that The Daily Show is helpful to entertain individuals but may not always be truly

informative.
 Work Cited

Zinser, Jason. "The Good, the Bad, and The Daily Show." They Say I Say with Readings, by

Gerald Graff et al., 2nd ed., New York, W.W. Norton and Company, 2012, pp. 363-379.