Modified On October 24, 2004
Jeff Charis-Carlson, writing in the Iowa City Press-Citizen, interviews Russell Peterson, a graduate student in American Studies at the University of Iowa on the subject of political humor:
As you said, these people have to have some idea of what is going on even to begin to understand the jokes being told. What people get from comedy– that they don’t get from news shows– is that comedy is all about making judgments. News coverage is supposed to be about avoiding making judgments. Journalists can present information and can say so-and-so said this and these people said that, but they are bound not to draw conclusions. Comedians make judgments all the time. They can report that same information, but then they assess that information in an easy way that makes people laugh.
Read the rest of the interview.