Geoffrey Baym is the Jon Stewart of journalism studies (though not as funny): If you want to see the emerging shape of television journalism, watch The Daily Show. If you want to understand its roots, significance and potential for invigorating democracy, read From Cronkite to Colbert: The Evolution of Broadcast News.
Michael X. Delli Carpini, University of Pennsylvania ... Read more
How did a comedian whose show comes on after puppets making crank phone calls come to be seen as the chief advocate of a responsible democratic media? Geoffrey Baym offers an original and convincing interpretation of the historical significance of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and other practitioners of contemporary 'infotainment.' The result is a thought-provoking and important reflection on the transformation of television news and of American political discourse.
Dan Hallin, University of California, San Diego
The story that Baym tells in From Cronkite to Colbert is essential reading, not just for scholars of journalism or popular culture but also for political communication effects scholars. For scholars trying to understand why Stewart and Colbert have become so relevant, Baym offers thoughtful and well-supported arguments. Baym's text is both undeniably important and eerily prescient.
Political Communication
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