On Satire and Fake News
I started reading fake news as a kid, saving the money I earned shoveling snow to buy Mad magazine with its “What Me, Worry?” mascot Alfred E. Neuman. His gap-toothed clueless smile, freckled nose and jug ears in various personas graced most every cover. Inside, the content included the type of satire that appealed to kids who had a bit of knowledge of current affairs.
From there, I graduated to National Lampoon, which contained more sophisticated satire, some of which was indisputably tasteless. The magazine had to apologize for a fake Volkswagen Beetle ad, which played off a real ad claiming a Beetle would float. After Sen. Ted Kennedy drove off the Chappaquiddick Bridge and Mary Jo Kopechne, a young woman with him, drowned, National Lampoon ran a takeoff of the VW ad, depicting it floating in water. The caption read, “If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagen, he’d be President today.
Now that goes beyond tasteless, in my view. I didn’t care about the satire hurting Kennedy’s feelings, but certainly the Kopechne family should have been spared the pain this doubtless caused.
These magazines are still in existence, though their popularity has waned, succeeded particularly by The Onion, which bills itself as “America’s Finest News Source.” It’s fake news, of course, though I suspect its creators prefer the terms “humor” or “satire.” Examples of some recent headlines:
• “Kicking, Screaming Warren Buffett Dragged From Caesars Palace After Losing Everything At Roulette Wheel.”
• “Crowd Shocked After Unhinged Trump Dangles Baby From Truman Balcony.”
• “Sean Spicer Quietly Puts Painting Back Over Unfinished Escape Tunnel.”
Anyone with just a modicum of common sense understands that these are all examples of political satire, which has a venerable tradition dating back in America to Benjamin Franklin and his “Poor Richard’s Almanack.” The word satire derives from the Latin satura, meaning a bowl of mixed fruits — a medley. Satire goes back to the ancient Greeks; Aristophanes is often referred to as the father of comedy for poking fun of how Athenian leaders conducted the Peloponnesian War.
All but the most gullible understand the difference between satire and actual reporting. One might not think the satirical piece is funny; that seems, for some folks, to depend on whose ox is being gored. Even so, people recognize that this is an attempt to make readers — or viewers — laugh.
Another venerable purveyor of fake news are the supermarket tabloids, which have diminished in popularity because of the same print advertising and circulation downturns that the mainstream media has endured. The tabloids combined sort-of true stories with outright fiction. My personal favorite was Weekly World News, whose go-to fake story invariably involved aliens, such as this October 2013 headline: “Alien Spaceships To Attack Earth in December 2013.” Whoops. Didn’t happen.
Then there is “real” fake news, the kind that has dominated the national conversation for several months. This is a far more sinister form of the genre, because it is widely believed to have influenced how some voters cast ballots — though how many likely will never be known. Fake news became so prevalent during last year’s campaign that Facebook — rather belatedly — began cracking down on sites and posted “Tips to Spot False News.” The tips included watch for poorly written headlines and misspelled names. In other words, a headline that says “Former President Barrack Osama Join ISIS” is a sure sign this is fake news.
Muddying the issue: people who don’t like certain news outlets, such as the present occupant of the Oval Office, decry them by labeling such organizations as the New York Times and CNN as fake news. This is both ridiculous and untrue, and a slap in the face of a profession of which I am proud to have been a member for four decades. The vast majority of journalists — at outlets large and small — take great pride in trying to get it right. They do not always succeed, and their mistakes are in print or online for all to see. What is heartening is that aggressive journalism is bringing more readers and viewers, not fewer, to these outlets. Citizens are turning to what have traditionally been the most trusted news sources instead of relying on what Facebook friends share online.
My advice: Be skeptical of claims that come from news sites with which one is not familiar. Use snopes.com or Google to check out something posted that sounds too wacko to be true. The recent claim that Hillary Clinton was linked to a satanic cult involved in child kidnapping is just one example. Really? Someone who actually believes that needs serious counseling.
And do not spread fake news just because it happens to agree with your worldview, whatever it is. I stick with the much-maligned mainstream media: the Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio are top of the list, as well as our local newspaper. I am quick to unfollow someone with a penchant for posting fake news.
I don’t have time for this foolishness, and you shouldn’t either.
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