Saturday Night Live has been on TV for over 30 years, it has
always been an exporter of hilarity. But is the show starting to become a little too biased with their political satire? It’s obvious who the people at SNL are rooting for in the upcoming election. They have done nothing but bash Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin. Even when they do impressions of Sen. Obama, they aren’t even mocking him; which SNL is well known for their satirical impressions of political officials. When Sen. Clinton was still in the race to the White House, they nailed her, but never made rude impersonations of Sen. Obama. Could this be harmful to the youth of America; who, generally, get their news from SNL, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report?The Daily 
Show or The Colbert Report aren’t meant to be the only place you get your news, they’re supposed to be funny. So, some could say that America’s youth would be stupid to believe and take Stephen Colbert’s rants to heart. But some watchers of The Colbert Report, for example, will do anything he says; when Stephen Colbert says “Buy my book,” they buy his book (me included), or when he says to buy his “Wriststrong” bracelets, mocking the “Livestrong” bracelets made famous by Lance Armstron, they buy his bracelets. These shows have a loyal fan-base that listens to them and follows what they say seriously.
Show or The Colbert Report aren’t meant to be the only place you get your news, they’re supposed to be funny. So, some could say that America’s youth would be stupid to believe and take Stephen Colbert’s rants to heart. But some watchers of The Colbert Report, for example, will do anything he says; when Stephen Colbert says “Buy my book,” they buy his book (me included), or when he says to buy his “Wriststrong” bracelets, mocking the “Livestrong” bracelets made famous by Lance Armstron, they buy his bracelets. These shows have a loyal fan-base that listens to them and follows what they say seriously.Some students here at Pittsford are avid watchers of these shows. Junior Cody Krasny watches The Daily Show and Colbert Report all the time. “They are highly addictive,” said Cody. He finds that he can identify with the hosts. “I agree with Stephen Colbert,” he commented. But when it comes to legitimate news, Cody is skeptical. “You mean like Fox News? That’s a waste of time,” he commented.
Junior Chloe Hepker is an enthusiastic watcher of Saturday Night Live. “I watch SNL and quote it often! SNL has impacted me, and though they make fun of (political candidates), there is truth behind it,” said Chloe. These shows do present the politicians in a bad light, but maybe there is merit in their impressions or news casts. Oh, Chloe had one last thing to say, “Live from New York it’s Saturday night!”
These shows are without a doubt meant to be funny rather than informative. I do think they could be more moderate and make fun of both sides, but we all are entitled to our opinion. A lot of young viewers would rather watch SNL’s political satire then Bill O’Reilly. This can be harmful to someone, for example, if they take Tina Fey’s impression of Sarah Palin as how the Governor really acts, rather then watching legitimate news to find out who she really is. These shows are above all funny and are there to present the news in a fun way. They’re there for you when you get tired of the “no spin zone,” or need a break from the typical news show. So when Stephen Colbert says that bears are the number one threat in America there is no reason to panic, the show is only aired to make you laugh!
