"Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful."
- Molly Ivins
The Pros of News Satire:
- As Molly Ivins said, satire gives us normal people a voice against those whose voices can be overpowering. Without directly attacking anyone, we can criticize and draw attention to issues.
- Develops a counter discourse, ".... through reversing dominant meanings and accepted usages" (McDonough 2007).
- Protected under the First Amendment- Shows like the Daily Show are not subject to the same rules that govern Journalism (as long as they declare that they are not a legit news source.) Because of this satire is not upheld to the gold standard of subjectivity, rather they have an incentive and use comedy and irony to distribute it.
- There is a level of transparency that, "challenges particular notions of truth and journalism," (Networked, pg. 103).
- Informing journalism by creating a spectacle from which journalists can report.
- People like comedy and often are learning about events in the news from satirical platforms. Makes news more appealing to the everyday person.
- "Facilitating new forms of political engagement, " (pg. 103). Forces politicians and corporate officials to address and own up to issues that otherwise would not have been discussed- Creates that relationship and breaks down barriers between public and higher power.
- Encourages and propels participatory and networked culture as anyone and everyone can create pieces of satire and add their opinion into the pool.
The Cons of News Satire:
- Satire Blindness: "Indeed, the third law of modern media states that for every moderately important news item published, there will be an obligatory roundup of the funniest Twitter reactions to said news story, generally in slideshow format to maximize clicks," (The Guardian, 2014).
- In a world where the output of media is basically unsustainable, it can be hard to distinguish "real" news from "fake news," especially with the massive focus on clickbait and eye-catching headlines.
- Facebook is testing a [satire] tag in order to make it easier to distinguish.
- Satire can cross the line from tastefully funny to offensive- as Joe Sacco argues, too much focus can be placed on the spectacle rather than the institutions that have built the spectacle.
- Discredits the values and tradition of journalism.
Questions:
- To what extent do you think the "truth" is better represented through satire rather than real news?
- With the integration of fake news into real news outlets, such as Newsweek, there has developed a blurring of lines between news and comedy. Do you think it is ok for that line to be blurred or should each (news and comedy) remain separate?
- Is it better to act outside of journalism as the Yes Men have done or like Colbert, is integration within the journalism world more effective?
- At what point does satire cross the line from funny to offensive?
Other Sources:
References:
Networked A Contemporary History of News in Transition
The Guardian
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