Satirists, Political

Political satire is a subgenre of political journalism, and a complex ironic practice of political criticism mixed with rhetorical hyperbole, entertaining humor, deliberate misstatement, and personal insight. Political satire frequently defines (and on occasion, exceeds) the accepted limits of professional journalism because the practice draws attention to biases and subjectivity inherent in newsgathering and editing, as well as society in general. Satire in general plays this role for literature, folklore, pop culture, and film.

Political satire has roots deep in Western history and has flourished in different historical periods and cultures of representative democracy. Like all satire, political satire holds current events and social relationships up against a set of idealized ethical norms such as basic fairness, humanitarianism, and democracy. Political satire can function as topical ...