Examine an episode of the Colbert Report through the lens of Geoffrey Essay

Examine an episode of the Colbert Report through the lens of Geoffrey Baym's article on discursive integration - Essay Example Baym examines The Daily Show as an example of this hybrid format stating how The Daily Show new format has spark a new genre, of hybrid of many, and has become an important part of the media. As a show that is packed with lots of comedy satire but still disseminates real news, The Colbert Report is a hybrid. It opens with a serious news opening, then shows him running and jump carrying a flag. Then, the camera pans to the audience, who are clapping and cheering. Similar to TDS starts of serious shows, the show then moves to some more like a late-night show with audience cheering. Typical Colbert shows include mock reportage on political events, using a strong degree of sarcasm and irony to mock traditional news programs that claim to be â€Å"fair and balanced,† but really are not. This use of satire can be favorably compared to Baym’s idea of â€Å"The Daily Show’s† John Stewart, as another show which acts to criticize the very object of culture which it is serving up to the people. Both shows use the trappings and production values of real news programs in a subversive, surreal manner. The first segment of The Colbert Report, like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, focuses on news updates on current events. Both shows share many similarities in this segment. They both incorporate a great deal of comedy satire into the news while taking aspects from both late-night shows and comedy shows (Baym, 263). Another great example of the similarities between these shows is that the hosts provide subjective nature on the subject. As Baym points out in his essay, Stewart â€Å"instead engages in subjective interrogation† going against all normal journalist standards (265). In the episode of The Colbert Report used by the current investigation, Stephen displays his subjective nature while talking to Arturo Rodriguez on immigration, or