Minorities in the Media: Just a Joke?

Like many college-aged students, I am a big fan of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Though inadequate as a sole news source, it’s got just the right amount of political satire with enough news that I can easily learn about a story without feeling overwhelmed. The laughs are just icing on the cake. As a liberal-leaning political satire show, it’s easy to assume that the content would feature an egalitarian group as its team of “fake news” reporters. Until recently, however, there had only been one female and one person of color on the team, which had always bothered me. How could such a progressive show be so obviously dominated by middle-aged white men?

Enter Jessica Williams, stage left. With her debut as a reporter caught in the metaphorical crossfire of the advertising war during the GOP South Carolina Primary, she was a sight for sore eyes.

Wait, wait, wait. As only one of two women and people of color, the only double minority, The Daily Show has cast her in her breakout performance as a victim of undisclosed misfortune. And this is something that we are supposed to feel happy about? Her entire scene is spent bemoaning the terror she’s been subjected to, complete with tattered and bloodied clothing. At the end she even asks her white male boss to let her quit so that she can leave, which she is told not to do, giving the scene a scary parallel to slavery or domestic abuse. I had been so excited to see more diverse representation on the show. But what I’d had in mind involved more interviewing bystanders, asking tough and ridiculous questions to politicians who wouldn’t answer them, or even physical comedy. What I hadn’t expected was an eerie reflection that hit too close to home.

In Jessica’s second and latest segment on the show, she is once again the only person on screen, acting not as a reporter but a caricature. This time she is on the run from the law after having violated the terms of the SOPA bill. Though it is truly great to finally have a woman of color participate in exposing the hypocrisy and ridiculousness in politics, I wonder why she hasn’t been given a role in which her character has any power or credibility. Her comedic talents are unmistakable, as everything from the way she carries herself to the way she speaks makes the viewer see her point in humorous clarity. However, I think it’s about time she was given a voice. Women in the media are constantly devaluized and dismissed, or else objectified and commodified. This teaches audiences that women have nothing of importance to say or contribute, because they think that everything worth listening to is said by men. People of color are similarly overlooked or tokenized in the media, further narrowing the scope of reliable media sources.

The Daily Show makes a habit of turning to the character most publicly affected by a story to cover it. Wyatt Cenac is the go-to guy for stories about race; John Oliver covers most international news; Samantha Bee is there for women’s issues forums. With all that is screwed up on the world of politics, I know there is no lack of stories for a black woman to cover. So, kudos to The Daily Show for broadening its horizons. Now, it’s time to prove to your audience that you can take a woman of color seriously.