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OSU study shows that 'satirical news matters'

ELISSA COLLOPY
Special to the Legal News

Published: February 6, 2017

Satirical news programs have real political effects on those who watch them, according to a new study.

This study found that people chose satirical news that coincided with their beliefs or attitudes, and these programs reinforced such attitudes as much as serious news.

"Satirical news matters," said Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick, author of the study and professor of communication at The Ohio State University. "It is not just entertaining - it has a real-life impact on viewers."

A Harvard Crimson analysis found that political satire outlets have risen in popularity considerably in recent years with talk shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

In addition to that analysis, a Pew Research study also found a growing number of Americans get their news from non-news sources such as comedy and entertainment television programs.

Knobloch-Westerwick's study found that people with little to no interest in politics were more likely to choose satirical news over serious news.

It involved 146 college students who selected news clips to watch, ranging from climate change to gun control to immigration.

In the beginning, participants were to choose between eight selections - half satirical, half serious.

However, all of the presented clips were from C-Span.

Both satirical and serious news had two pairs of identical clips, with the difference being in the text scrawled across the bottom of the screen - ranging from liberal to conservative.

Before and after watching the videos, participants completed measures about their attitudes on the three topics as well as their personal ability to bring about political change.

At the end of the study, they were also asked about their attitudes toward news and political satire, media consumption and general interest in politics.

Results of the study showed that generally, participants selected the serious clips more often than the satirical ones.

However, the college students with lower interest in politics were more likely than others to choose the satirical clips.

"These results suggest that satirical news can engage people who otherwise would avoid political news," said Knobloch-Westerwick. "This study suggests that satirical news could be a gateway into more serious news use for people who aren't currently engaged in politics."

The study also showed that Republicans chose conservative clips while Democrats chose liberal clips.

However, there was a difference specifically when it came to satirical news clips.

Republicans chose the conservative clips while Democratic-leaning participants didn't have a preference for liberal satirical videos.

Knoblock-Westerwick said it could be based on the novelty of conservative satire news.

"Democrats may have been curious just because they had rarely or never seen conservative satire before," she said.

Results showed that regardless of which news clips they viewed, participants' political views were strengthened if they viewed videos aligning with their own beliefs.

"Satirical news has the same impact as serious news - it reinforces your political attitudes," Knoblock-Westerwick said. "It may be funny, but it has serious effects."

She also stated that more research is needed to understand the entire effect of satirical news.

"The important part is that satirical news did have an effect on political efficacy, as well as on political attitudes," she said. "Satirical news shouldn't be disregarded just because its goal is to make people laugh. It still has an impact, just like serious news does."

Knoblock-Westerwick conducted the study with Simon Lavis, an OSU graduate student, and the findings are published online in the Journal of Communication.

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