Everything grows and evolves as time goes on, which is the expected result of each passing decade. Journalism is certainly no exception to this societal growth, as humor has made its way into the news broadcasts that we know and love. 

By this day and age, everyone should be aware of various shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, or Saturday Night Live to name a few. Shows like these have taken the news world by storm with the hosts’ wild sense of humor. 

While regular news reports and channels still thrive, much of the population’s younger generation are flocking towards these humor filled news reports. 

Humor journalism got its start from the “Satire Boom” in the UK in the 1960s. This revolution in the UK gradually made its way to the U.S where NBC created a similar program, Saturday Night Live, which is still running to this day. 

Beginning in the 2000s, these programs began to grow in popularity with the help of John Stewart and Stephen Colbert, two political satirists with their own program. 

As time went on, these shows sparked a newfound interest in satire journalism on television, and programs like The Tonight Show Featuring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Late Late Show with James Corden became widely popularized during the 2010s. 

In 2014, a survey from the University of Delaware revealed that 7% of viewers heard a lot, and 45% of viewers paid less attention when listening or watching Fox News; whereas 23% of viewers heard a lot of the Colbert Report, a satire-based journalism program. 

Humor journalism programs like The Colbert Report rely on their witty, but relatable jokes that the host cleverly inserts into their news. 

Regarding the actual credibility of the news presented by these programs, a survey revealed that shows like The Colbert Report and John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight are considered to be far more aware of the issues than regular news broadcasts. 

According to viewers, these shows seem to be doing a better job at explaining the overall issue than regular news anchors as well. And the root of this success seems to branch off of their delivery of each issue. 

Along with implementing some jokes for the audience to laugh about, hosts like Stephen Colbert use their brilliant skill of communication to tell a story in which the audience will understand easily. This crucial skill is one of the main reasons as to why these broadcasts are becoming so popular. 

Stephen Colbert and John Oliver utilize this skill very effectively. While explaining the current event or issue, they’ll add in some relative humor to help the information flow. 

While regular news broadcasts like Fox News or NBC provide up to date current events each passing day, these humor journalism programs have the leisure to elaborate more on the issue. With programs like The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert likes to elaborate on, and explain the current issue with some jokes here and there. 

Another key element in their success is the ability to keep the audience entertained and interested in the content that they’re providing. Adding humor to the current event or issue allows for the audience to relate more to the issue. 

Much related to the content provided by these programs, the majority of the audience consists of the younger generation. Most people tuning into these broadcasts fall into the millennial category, mostly including college students. 

A study showed that college students at the University of Illinois learn about the news and current events better from these programs than in the classroom. 

Humor journalism is booming in terms of popularity, and it’s mostly due to the fact that viewers find the content relatable and comprehensible at the same time. Satirical news programs are doing a fairly good job of keeping their audience informed, and judging by the ratings, its popularity will continue to rise in the journalism industry.