News satire is media resembles nonfiction news sources, but has comedic or fictional elements that satirize current events.
There are two main ways a news satire can take shape, though some shows blend these styles together:
- It presents completely fictionalized news stories that are somewhat inspired by current events.
- It discusses actual current events, but adds opinionated commentary and fictional sketches that draw attention to the bizarre aspects of real-world issues.
For every medium that presents news, there has been somebody using the format for satirical purposes, dating back to at least the mid-1800's. News satire can be very effective for informing an audience of current events when they wouldn't be interested in the real news, since it presents the news through a comedic lens. The author's freedom to comment on the news also provides some catharsis that is not possible through objective journalism. For the news satire that presents fictonal news, however, there runs a risk of being mistaken as fact due to its initially credible appearance.
A specific format has emerged on television where entire shows are based off news satire, starting with The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This format features a host, usually a Large Ham or Deadpan Snarker, offering very spirited opinions about the news and taking far more personal jabs at politicians, celebrities, and anybody else they may target. The success of The Daily Show led to others, including former ''Daily Show contributors like John Oliver and Stephen Colbert, to host their own television news satire programs. This format can double as a Talk Show, as some news satire programs bring in influential people to interview, but some programs focus more on the host's opinions and antics.
Examples:
Live Action TV
- The Colbert Report is a parody of news talk programs, specifically The O Reilly Factor. Unlike many talk shows, not only does Stephen Colbert satirize the news, he satirizes the hosts of such programs by playing an uber-conservative character.
- The Daily Show is the Trope Codifier for the news satire program in America, with Jon Stewart (and later Trevor Noah) discussing the news
