Late-night shows and their hosts have always taken a comedic jab at politicians. In fact, viewers prefer their take on the latest in politics over watching actual news stories that are aired during primetime hours.
But beyond making fun of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton or the U.S. election, late-night comedies have been more diverse in its political discussions in 2016. This year, they have also found fodder for their content in issues from an unlikely sector: education.
No late-night viewer perhaps expected that they will be learning something about what's going on schools or university by tuning into late-night shows. In the past, these have usually been discussed in more serious talk shows or features on television.
But The Atlantic rounds up specific segments in shows like "Last Week Tonight" with John Oliver, "The Daily Show" with Trevor Noah, and "Full Frontal" with Samantha Bee. These programs found humor in tackling issues like charter schools, shootings at campus and higher education financial debts.
The article further cites that, while largely for entertainment, the satirical commentaries on education in these late-night comedies have actually helped education issues become part of the conversation. Viewers have become aware that such issues actually exist and need to be talked about.
Watching late-night comedies is also helping the common American process the information in a level that can be engaging, but also truthful and biting. The education community should be appreciative of the fact that late-night is taking notice.
In some cases, the commentaries might even incite a call for viewers to do something about the information they have learned, like in John Oliver's segment. These late-night shows and their programs have a profound influence in shaping viewers' perception and understanding, according to Media Psychology study.
Do you watch late-night shows? Have you noticed their shift towards education issues? What are your thoughts about it?
