As an avid fan of comedy in general, consuming comedy news is by far and away the easiest way for me to digest news and information. This form of news has an array of unique interpretations that come in an array of forms and have been prevalent in society for hundreds, if not thousands of years (The State of Satire: The Satire State, Gray, Jones & Thompson). It’s purpose is one of great importance. Comedy news, satire and parody offer an outlet for feelings of discontent and disapproval that may not have another way to vent themselves. It also offers another vector through which information can flow and for mutual feelings to gestate with each other. In this regard it is as important, if not more so than real journalism. Comedy news is able to act as a critique on politics, the social world and even the world of journalism in which there is frequently almost as much misinformation and misdirection as in the satirical comedy news which holds it accountable. Why do satire and parody in particular have these abilities? While it is undeniable that many forms of comedy can have a similar critique satire and parody do possess a particularly cutting (even scathing) delivery style that set them apart. Satire by nature harbours a darker style of comedic delivery and bluntness and parody can mimic and jest at its subject. For these reasons these forms of comedy, both separately, and intertwined are the main tool for comedic and “fake” journalism.
This semester I hold a lot of hope for tuning my skills in these domains and building up an ability to critically apply satire and parody to the news. Now more than ever there is a need to look at news and current affairs with a ‘tongue in cheek’ attitude, and to be able to laugh.
