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The Colbert Bump in Campaign Donations: More Truthful thanTruthy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2008

James H. Fowler
James H. Fowler
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
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Extract

Stephen Colbert hosts a comedy television program called The Colbert Report (the t at the end is silent—both of them!) in which heparodies personality-based news shows like The O'Reilly Factor that havebecome popular during the last 10 years. In an effort to make fun of these (usuallyconservative) personalities who engage in non-stop self-promotion, Colbert frequently tradesoutlandish claims for laughs. Among these is the claim that anyone who comes on the Report receives the “Colbert bump,” immediately vaulting the guest tostardom, fame, and fortune. Like Midas turning everything he touches to gold, StephenColbert can turn losers into winners, just by interviewing them on his show (but, ahem, hewould never actually interview a loser now would he?).

Type
Features
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 41 , Issue 3 , July 2008 , pp. 533 - 539
Copyright
Copyright © The American Political Science Association 2008

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