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News Satire

Satire and Mystery Fiction

News satire, or news comedy, is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called satire because of its content. News satire has existed almost as long as journalism itself, but is particularly popular on the web, where it is relatively easy to mimic a legitimate news site, and it relies heavily on irony and deadpan humor.

Facts
Partially Attested
Place of Origin
United States 1
Source frames Mark Twain's work as a newspaper reporter in Nevada and San Francisco as the earliest documented example of news satire, but it does not explicitly state a single place of origin for the genre overall.
Notable Example
The Onion 1
Defining Trait
Relies heavily on irony and deadpan humor 1
Connections

Form Of Genre

Satire, Genres
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. News satire - Wikipedia
  • In history section, Mark Twain paragraph
    He left two separate journalism positions, Nevada (1864) fleeing a challenge to duel and San Francisco fleeing outraged police officials because his satire and fiction were often taken for the truthful accounts they were presented as.
  • Online section, paragraph 1
    News satire has been posted on the web almost since its inception, with The Onion foremost among recognized news satire sites due to its enduring and profitable business model.
  • Lead section, paragraph 1
    News satire relies heavily on irony and deadpan humor.
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