By Sara Rogers
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The American political stratum and its respective politicians are somewhat laughable. In the past month leading up to the Nov. 2 congressional elections, broadcast and print media were littered with petty and hostile slander between candidates. From Ohio’s Republican candidate Rich Iott’s Nazi officer imitation photographs to Maine’s Tea Party candidate Christine O’Donnell’s witchcraft accusations, the skyrocketing popularity of political satirists such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert comes as no surprise to me. Frankly and ironically, both comedians seem to have emerged as rational voices amid the kaleidoscope of red and blue turmoil.

The popularity of this growing news genre is undeniable. During the month of October, Stewart’s “The Daily Show” averaged 3.5 million viewers during its 11 p.m. broadcast and subsequent airing the following day. This puts Stewart’s viewership in the same league as David Letterman and Jay Leno. In fact, Stewart was proclaimed the most influential man of 2010, according to AskMen.com’s fifth annual “Top 49 Most Influential Men” poll, putting him ahead of Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and President Barack Obama himself.

Last month, Colbert and Stewart partnered to host a “Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear” on the National Mall in Washington D.C. The rally, formed to show that “the loudest voices shouldn’t be the only ones that get heard,” drew an estimated 250,000 participants. The crowd, praised by Stewart and Colbert as incredibly “diverse” in both views and backgrounds, represents the undeniable presence of dissatisfaction in media coverage and partisan politics in general.

Even those who are quick to shrug off political satire as “pseudo-news” or “liberal garbage” will have a hard time downplaying the large scope of its influence.

Of course, political comedians are not always credible and unbiased. Colbert and Stewart base their episodes on discussing current events, showing clips and addressing national issues while adding in personal and guest commentary. While the majority of their jabs may lean toward the right side of the political system, the left is not left to sit on a pedestal.

That being said, Stewart and Colbert use their voices in order to expose some of the more ludicrous and corrupt actions of American politicians and public figures.

Contrary to conventional network news, political satire does not glorify partisan politics and trivial spats between opposing viewpoints. Colbert and Stewart seem to elucidate sensitive topics and use humor to illustrate American politics, in general, as ridiculous.

According to a 2010 study by the Pew Research Center, perception of the credibility of the top 14 major news organizations has declined since 1998. Credibility ratings for CNN dropped from 42 percent in 1998 to 29 percent in 2010. The Wall Street Journal fell from 41 to 25 percent. National Public Radio (NPR) is the only news organization to experience a rise in credibility since 1998, going from 19 to 28 percent this year.

So, if Americans doubt even those news sources claiming to be objective, I don’t see why news satirists get written off as unreliable sources of information. While much of the information during a show is opinionated and some completely fabricated, there is an indisputable combination of news and entertainment that helps viewers understand and interpret current events in simpler language. Besides, anyone payin attention to American politics is probably in need of a good laugh.

In fact, a 2007 Pew Research study weighed the  public knowledge of current news and information based on different news outlets. The study gave a series of tests, asking participants various questions regarding current events, political issues and public figures. Overall, the audiences of “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” had a total of 54 percent of participants in the “high knowledge group,” tying with the audience of major newspaper websites. Of those who receive most of their information from CNN, only 41 percent qualified for the “high knowledge group.” Network evening news viewers achieved a mere 38 percent.

Subjectivity in the news is unavoidable. Even news outlets claiming to be purely unbiased and objective choose what stories and angles to cover. With all the hostile and underhanded business in Washington, the American people deserve public figures willing to monitor and keep legislators and the executive focused on the good of their constituents.