For my final paper, I would like to investigate how the development of niche television has influenced how we consume news media. Specifically, the rough thesis I’m working with at this point is something like:
The fracturing of television into niche markets has produced a news media of individualization, where each news channel is structured to deliver news based on a set of preexisting belief systems, such as MSNBC for liberal thinkers and Fox News for conservative thinkers. This offers an incomplete picture of the events occurring in our world, destroying the purpose of news in the first place. Meanwhile, niche television has also provided the avenue for such shows as The Daily Show to rise, and though it is a “fake” news show, The Daily Show’s use of irony critiques the current TV news model and even ends up providing more truthful news than the “real” news sources.
To establish and flesh out the evolution and development of niche TV and its relation to news, I will look to find an article/analysis of the progression of television news from before the diversification of niche markets in the 1980s and 1990s, into the era of niche market, if not into the modern day. I already have a lecture by Jennifer Holt that describes the history, economic and cultural, of the development of niche television, Graeme Turner’s article on “Choice Fatigue” wherein he discusses the individualization of the TV watching experience, and hopefully several more articles/analyses of current TV news. I also have several articles, and will search for more, analyzing The Daily Show, its use of irony, and how its news is more “truthful” or “authentic” than “real” news sources. Further, I will do a textual analysis of various segments of MSNBC (the “liberal” side of news) and Fox News (the “conservative” side of news) to demonstrate their individualization, catering to niche markets, and how this makes their reporting insufficient. Then, I will do a textual analysis of segments of The Daily Show to demonstrate the use of irony and how this critiques the current TV news model and how it elevates The Daily Show from mere comedy entertainment to being just as, if not more, truthful than real news.
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