"Truthiness" and Second-Level Agenda Setting: Satire News and Its Influence on Perceptions of Television News Credibility

About this Digital Document

This study examined the impact of satire news programs on perceptions of media credibility. Using second-level agenda setting as a theoretical framework, the results of this mixed-methods study show that negative portrayals of television news on these satire news shows makes salient certain negative attributes that match viewers' perceptions of credibility. A survey (n=650) found that <em>Daily Show</em>/<em>Colbert Report</em> viewers had less positive views about the credibility of television news programs, while content analysis (N=401) of four weeks of episodes of <em>The Daily Show</em> and <em>The Colbert Report</em> reflected the results of the survey, showing that television news programs, particularly those on cable, were more frequently portrayed negatively and made the target of jokes. The analysis shows television news is a frequent target of these satire shows' criticisms and these shows' negative attributes are made salient, which is reflected in the survey respondents' low credibility scores for this medium.
Full Title
"Truthiness" and Second-Level Agenda Setting: Satire News and Its Influence on Perceptions of Television News Credibility
Contributor(s)
Publisher
Lehigh University
Date Issued
2015-04-20
Language
English
Type
Genre
Form
electronic documents
Department name
Journalism and Communication
Digital Format
electronic documents
Media type
Creator role
Faculty
Subject (LCSH)
Littau, . J., & Steward, . D. R. (2015). "Truthiness" and Second-Level Agenda Setting: Satire News and Its Influence on Perceptions of Television News Credibility (1–). https://preserve.lehigh.edu/lehigh-scholarship/faculty-staff-publications/faculty-publications/truthiness-second-level-agenda
Littau, Jeremy, and Daxton R. Steward. 2015. “‘Truthiness’ and Second-Level Agenda Setting: Satire News and Its Influence on Perceptions of Television News Credibility”. https://preserve.lehigh.edu/lehigh-scholarship/faculty-staff-publications/faculty-publications/truthiness-second-level-agenda.
Littau, Jeremy, and Daxton R. Steward. "Truthiness" and Second-Level Agenda Setting: Satire News and Its Influence on Perceptions of Television News Credibility. 20 Apr. 2015, https://preserve.lehigh.edu/lehigh-scholarship/faculty-staff-publications/faculty-publications/truthiness-second-level-agenda.