Whether it be "Saturday Night Live" or "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," late-night talks shows are staples of American television that have been around since the 1950s. They have been known for their funny celebrity interviews, parody skits, and humorous reporting on the news. While late night talk shows should not be a viewer's only source of news, their credibility, jokes, and relaxed nature make them a strong alternative to social media.
Talk shows weren’t always news-related. Only since the arrival of the 2000s did comedians begin reading through the news headlines — making fun of leaders and throwing in jokes as they went. This was never intended to become a way for people to get their news, only a playful spin on the news itself. However, as talk shows became more political, fact-checking became necessary before they aired. According to the magazine “The Vulture,” "The Daily Show’s" producers believe that jokes with credibility behind them are more meaningful to audiences.
In the past decade, viewership of late-night talk shows has decreased dramatically. Ten years ago, programs such as NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” and Comedy Central's “The Daily Show” collectively averaged around 10.5 million views each night. Today, however, they pull in less than half of that figure, at 4.5 million views per night. This shift is largely because more and more people get their news and entertainment from a more addictive medium: social media. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, 20 percent of Americans get their news from “news influencers.” However, these sources are often tainted with misinformation. A study by Security.org found that more than half of social media users who share news or political posts do so without fact checking.
With more and more people turning to social media for news, late-night shows present a refreshing alternative. While they are not without their biases — and are no substitute for more credible news sources — they are useful in their own right. By providing audiences with relaxed and humorous information, they draw from social media's focus on entertainment without spreading falsehoods. It’s important to remember that these long-standing talk shows have a team of qualified people behind them. Nevertheless, audiences must be aware that late-night shows offer the host's opinion on the news and are not purely informational. If audiences consume media to confirm their existing views (confirmation bias), current events will only continue to become more and more polarized.
Whether it be social media or late-night shows, news should always be taken with a grain of salt. Late-night shows, while decreasing in popularity, provide the opportunity for a good laugh and a dose of current events, while mitigating misinformation. Ultimately, viewers should get their news from a variety of sources instead of solely consuming information from one medium.