Gone are the days when folks would plop onto their couches and watch the evening news. Well, that is what it feels like anyway. Despite the vast presence of conventional media like television in our lives, that presence appears to be slipping into obscurity with the rise of online publications, YouTube and late-night talk shows. This vast difference between news channel of the old guard and late night comedy shows raises an important question; namely, what are viewers gaining when they watch a comedy show over traditional news media?

In a recent interview, ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos interviewed the former FBI Director James Comey. Comey’s dismissal was met with a large controversy; when Comey appeared on the media for his new book, people around the world had high expectations for the insights he would share into the scandal. George Stephanopoulos’s questions revealed bombshells that dominated news cycles on every platform. James Comey then appeared on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert for a satirical, yet serious conversation about his book and the Russia controversy. These two interviews are vastly different. On Youtube the interview with Stephanopoulos, gathered only tens of thousands of views, while Colbert’s interview, which was uploaded later, has already been viewed over three million times .

The most obvious answer to why Colbert’s video garnered so many more view is in the nature of the medium: comedy. There is a distinct lack of humour in traditional news broadcasts and newspaper articles. The reason people flock to comedy shows is for the entertainment value.

Colbert is world renowned for his biting satire of current events. Curious viewers are drawn to comedy shows like Colbert’s to see what humor he can craft with new political material. Comey’s interview is a prime example of what makes comedy shows so effective; they marry current events with the accessible humor of stand-up comedy. While news channels strive to remain as objective as they can, comedians have no such restraints.

This is risky. Essentially, by preferring entertainment-based news sources, viewers may be preemptively coloring their views regarding a certain issue. Traditional media, which tries to remain impartial, provides viewers with information. Comedy shows, on the other hand, convey information in a different way. By creating bias for their viewers, comedy shows may seem to be doing more harm than good when they riff on current events.

But what comedy shows also do is generate public interest in current affairs. While more and more people may shy away from the unappealing news delivered in a flat monotone, they remain aware of what is going on thanks to late night shows. In fact, unappealing news benefits from the comedy treatment, and comedy benefits from terrible news. They have a symbiotic relationship. Humor is a very human method of dealing with horrible situations, and with some of the best comedians on the job, comedy shows may actually help prevent public hysteria. Late night shows may actually drive their viewers toward news channels. Many such shows use video material from traditional media in their monologues and leave their viewers with incomplete information, making them curious to know more. Such a case occurred with the James Comey interview; before Comey appeared on the Late Show, Colbert used the interview with Stephanapoulos for a few jokes. Interested viewers who know the biases of their favourite comedy shows and who want a more serious perspective are always able to go back to traditional media and find out what’s truly going on.

Ultimately, as technology continues to advance, the way that people receive information will continue to change. Comedy shows certain bring a certain critical edge and comic relief to current events, but let us not forget the inherent biases that come with those episodes that make us chuckle.