Watching Bill Maher May Be Funny But May Have Serious Side Effects
Who doesn't love The Late Show with Stephen Colbert? Or Bill Maher? Or even, "Throwing Shade," the new satirical news show on TVLand? Well, now a new study is saying that despite the fact that they make us laugh, these shows actually often dismissed as mere entertainment, have real political effects on the people who watch them, according to newswise.com. New research suggests that study participants chose satirical news that matched their pre-existing attitudes – liberal or conservative – and that watching satirical news reinforced those attitudes as much as watching serious news. The study found that people with little interest in politics were more likely to select satirical over serious news. In addition, watching satirical news affected feelings of political efficacy – people’s belief that they can influence political processes. “Satirical news matters,” says Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick , author of the study and professor of communication at The Ohio...