In A Theory of Media Politics, John Zaller sets out to explain the roles of three key actors, politicians, journalists and citizens, in mass political communication.1 And considering the characteristics of each actor, I believe there has been the emergence of a fourth actor in media policy, which has developed as a natural consequence of the demands placed on journalists by politicians and citizens, as identified by Zaller. Additionally, Gilens, Vavreck and Cohen's article "The Mass Media and the Public's Assessment of Presidential Candidates, 1952-2000"2 provides a basis for considering the impact that political messages disseminated by non-media outlets can have on the political communication process. On March 11, 2014, President Barack Obama made an appearance on the Internet comedy show "Between Two Ferns", hosted by comedian and actor Zach Galifinakas. The president's appearance drew predictable reactions from conservative and liberal media commentators; Conservative voices criticized the appearance as being "less presidential than Richard Nixon saying 'Sock it to me' in "Laugh In."3 While liberal commentators found the appearance and its negative reception by conservatives to be funny.4 And even if it weren't the first time a president or presidential candidate has appeared on an entertainment show, it suggests that President Obama's appearance on "Between Two Ferns" can be considered a continued and growing move away from the role of journalists as intermediaries of mass communication, and towards a new field. this reinforces the importance of a new group in media politics – artists. But in order to understand why the president's appearance on this particular show is significant, it may be necessary to consider the historical milieu...... middle of paper ...... they appear to be under more pressure than never to provide the types of entertainment that audiences demand in order to increase ratings, while trying to maintain a unique voice. But in doing so, it seems that our news, much like other forms of media, becomes hyper-tailored to niche markets. The public may appreciate a certain degree of conflict and information, but it seems that the conflict and information they want are not real conflicts or accurate information. Rather, what they want is information that avoids even moderate levels of cognitive dissonance and manufactured conflict, which simply seems like another form of entertainment. And Joe McGuinness was halfway there when in 2010 he said, "It's all become entertainment," because when you add the question "why" to his statement, you realize that politicians are just delivering what we want; and we just want to have fun.