In current times, a sense of humour is a valuable tool, given the global state of affairs. However, we must be scrupulous when scrutinising what we share on social media. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.
What is news satire and why does it threaten to unravel the thread that holds together the fabric of society’s capability of rationalising the comprehension of the difference between fact and fiction on social media platforms?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word ‘news’ [noun: plural but singular in construction, often attributive] as “new information or a report about something that has happened recently; information that is reported in a newspaper, magazine, television news program, etc; someone or something that is exciting and in the news.”
Source www.simpsonsworld.com
The word ‘satire’ is described by the same dictionary as “a way of using humour to show that someone or something is foolish, weak, bad, etc; humour that shows the weaknesses or bad qualities of a person, government, society, etc; a book, movie, etc, that uses satire.”
Combining the two to create news satire or fake news, as it is also known, while comical and light-hearted to most, can be misleading to some.
Source www.thedailyshow.com
News satire has been around almost as long as journalism itself. With social media providing an extensive global ‘soapbox’ to shout from, in this day and age, it’s not difficult to fool the masses who misunderstand the concept of this type of parody which so closely mimics the format of mainstream journalism.
The concept of news satire relies heavily on irony and deadpan humour, making use of satirical commentary to ‘report’ on real-world events. In its other form, news satire departs entirely from the quest for factual reporting and presents completely fictionalised news articles, often written in such a way that, to the uninformed, they create the impression of legitimacy.
Source www.tvland.com
Creators of satirical or fake news articles are most often shielded by a disclaimer present on most of their websites, excluding them from the code of conduct that governs actual journalists, enabling them absolute immunity with regard to journalistic ethics. This is why it is imperative that society educates itself in the enormous realm of online news by learning to differentiate between what is real and what is fake.
In current times, a sense of humour is a valuable tool, given the global state of affairs. However, we must be scrupulous when scrutinising what we share on social media. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.
A list of just a few of the fake or satirical news sites out there, including, but not limited to South African media, because the internet is a big and scary place and the world wide web connects us all:
African News Updates
The Gatsby
Mzansi Daily – This one is confusing, as it is not exclusively satirical.
