Opinion: Should satirical news be considered journalism?

If satirical news were to be accepted as an established form of journalism, the practice in its entirety would be discredited.

Although this notion may qualify as controversial, satirical news outlets should not be considered a reputable journalistic practice.

While it is valid that satirical news segments are drawing in a wide scope of viewers (more so than traditional news platforms), the information being presented is of an extremely biased nature. It is this method of presentation that masks the necessary means of analyzing facts, or in other words, individual interpretation of information is ultimately lost. The Society of Professional Journalists clearly maps out the standard code of ethics for journalism as a practice, which is ultimately violated by satirical media.

Of course, satirical news offers an engaging alternative for audiences of all ages and demographics to remain informed about daily global happenings. Because these programs are based on satire, their underlying is that of entertainment. And as research continues to show, humour based programming is proving to be a successful approach to information consumption. Through lighthearted, comical portrayals of serious worldly events (such as the U.S. presidential elections), viewers tuning in are encouraged to keep up-to-date with the program, not only because it is entertaining, but also because it directly affects the consumer. Thus, broadening the consumers’ worldview in a way in which they might otherwise not have been exposed to. In essence, satirical platforms make mundane news otherwise interesting.

Just as it is typical for the individuals to find themselves immersed in a television drama, the same can now be said for satirical media. Ultimately, this is largely due to the fact that the hosts of these programs have created characters for themselves – characters which aim to connect with their audience and leave them anticipating future segments. The new ways in which information is being presented for public consumption is, therefore, highly revolutionized. And in turn, audiences are becoming politically aware of important issues. So, while satirical media is beneficial in the sense that it engages new audiences by transmitting information in highly receptive ways, that doesn’t necessarily mean that what is being presented could be deemed credible by journalistic standards.

Satirical media violates journalism as an ethical practice because of its unconventional means of obtaining and presenting information. Credible journalism is both unbiased and fact-based (accompanied by multiple, reputable sources). When media takes on a subjective role (as does satirical news), viewers are being broadcast a point of view that they might otherwise not have thought of themselves. A journalist’s first responsibility is to present facts in a manner that allows the audience to make their own decisions pertaining to a particular topic. Seek truth and report it – a notion that should always be held in high regards.

Aside from the basics, satirical news derives information secondhand. These platforms do not seek out stories or data on their own account, as standard news outlets do. Rather, information is recycled from multiple sources and packaged into a segment. While what is being presented may be entirely accurate, there really is no need to fact-check the information because satirical programs are merely entertainment based and unlikely to have ethical repercussions.

Perhaps a rather important aspect of ethical journalism that fails to fly under the radar in terms of credibility is the notion of minimizing harm.”Ethical journalism treats sources, subjects, colleagues and members of the public as human beings deserving of respect.” A prime example of disregarding the “minimize harm” aspect is everything pertaining to the Trump administration. While the Trump era does have its controversies, the way satirical media (The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, etc.) presents President Trump and his administration is one-sided. And this side chooses to portray him in the most unfavourable of ways. Ethical journalism typically tends to stray from controversy, or at least avoids blatantly undermining an individual’s character for the sake of entertainment.

If satirical news were to be accepted as an established form of journalism, this would discredit the practice in its entirety. However, satirical news programs, in essence, are harmless. Merely an entertaining spin on politics, satirical news is without a doubt an interesting alternative.