Panel discusses journalism, journalistic comedy and much more
There’s more to being a journalist than being a “dude” with a “blog.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a dude with a blog.”
But becoming a journalist, panelist Andy Ihnatko said, “requires a higher degree of responsibility.”
The panel discussed different issues concerning journalism Thursday, involving comedy in journalism, the ways in which it has evolved over time, and most importantly, what it’s evolving into today.
“We love the fact that news has become comedy,” Margaret Engel, a panelist and managing editor of the Newseum, said.
During her time on the panel, she said that using comedy to report opens up the news to so many to new viewers, particularly people under 30.
“John Stewart and Steven Colbert, as an example, talk about serious things in their own sly way, and it’s a wonderful thing,” Engel said.
She is a big fan of journalism as comedy and explained the ways it has been creating a bridge between the public and hot issues of the moment, such as the Middle East and the presidential elections.
“These comedians are focused like lasers on the news streams, and I think elevating the public discourse. I applaud Jay Leno and Letterman who have made politics their business,” she said later in the discussion.
“The Daily Show and John Stewart definitely have an influence,” Ihnatko said. “They can put issues on a bigger spotlight than 24 hour news stations can.”
Engel added on to agree with this view. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing that news stream has been captured by comedians,” she said.
William Nack, who opened for the panel, talked a bit about William Jennings Bryan and his influence as a prominent public speaker.
Another issue brought up focused on the loyalties journalists have and their job in political coverage. Panel board member Jurek Martin and columnist for the Financial Times said that today’s journalists are stuck in a candidate cocoon.
“Journalists covering the campaign never get out of the cocoon surrounding the candidate,” he said.
Martin also said that he rejects journalists appearing on television most of the time because journalists are “paid for what they find out, not what they think.”
An audience question asked about the quality of political cartoons and mentioned John McCain’s appearance on the David Letterman show. Panelist Engel said that she thinks candidates appearing on shows like Jay Leno and SNL is good PR to which she “hardly sees any downside.”
Another notable topic was brought about by Martin when he explained the differences between the American and British press.
The British press, he said, is more celebrity conscious than America. “We are much more likely to tear down those we’ve stuck up on pedestals. America is a little more cautious about doing that.”
“The British press has more fun,” he said. That’s not the case in American journalism, where the only place you’ll see comedy is with shows like The Colbert Report or The Daily Show with John Stewart.
Sheila Kumar, a sophomore news-editorial journalism major, thought that it was a great panel.
“I think I came here with the wrong expectations though. I did, however, learn about new writers I didn’t know about before like Litman,” she said.
Kumar said she also gained a lot from the discussion and “gained most from this an idea of who to look to next, and who to look for in journalism for influence.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Stephanie Shepard at stephanie.shepard@colorado.edu
