Journalism

Humor writing techniques have found their way into American journalism dating back as far as Benjamin Franklin's time. In journalism, the basic information conveyed in an article must be verifiable, which gives the writer some flexibility with the content, since whether something is true and accurately presented depends on one's perspective. To qualify as journalism, the content of an article, column, or report in any medium should be intended to be accurate, truthful, and verifiable. Techniques for making us laugh, such as exaggeration, minimization, and double entendres, usually begin with some truth the writer exploits for effect. Storytelling techniques found in fiction genres—novels, short stories, Westerns, romances, mysteries, and others—have found their way into journalism in genres such as columns, feature stories, and commentary. The aim is to draw attention to something ironic or encourage the audience to think about something newsworthy with levity—to see the humor in the situation and in life. This entry addresses the complex relationship between journalism and humor, primarily in the U.S. context.

Humor in journalism and the arguments for and against it are nothing new. Examples of humor in American journalism date back as far as Ben Franklin's Mrs. Silence Dogood papers, published in the early 18th century and unusual for colonial journalism. Humorous articles also appeared in the New England Courant between 1723 and 1725. Today Franklin's work might appear in satire publications such as The Onion or Bean Soup Times, or even the Utne Reader, a digest of the alternative press. As early as 1917 complaints about levity in journalism in the form of letters to the editor appeared in The New York Times (May 14). Defending humor in journalism as far back as 1870, the Atlanta Constitution noted that “many of our best sentiments sometimes are practically shown very amusingly” (“The Humors of Journalism,” March 25).

Bill Maher's brand of humor is a good example of how the line is blurred between news and comedy today. As a political commentator, it is not clear whether he is subject to the constraints journalistic ethics provide. Maher also is a stand-up comedian, television host, author, and actor known best for his searing political satire, which often casts aside sensitivity in favor of expressing controversial views, such as disputing the idea that the terrorists who flew planes into buildings on 9/11 were “cowards” and adding that remotely bombing countries was more cowardly (a remark that is thought to have led to the cancellation of his show at ABC and his move to HBO).

In general, comedians do not follow many of the guidelines found in journalists' ethics codes. At Reuters, a news service providing coverage to [Page 422]subscribers including major newspapers and television networks, the handbook says journalists should “eschew gossip about the private lives of public figures,” “avoid sensationalism and hype,” and be “wary of assumptions and bias,” including their own. Comedians often thrive on these elements. Their own assumptions and biases are often the point on which their satire pivots.

Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury comic strip informs readers about political events while also focusing on everyday foibles and conundrums, much like New Yorker humorist James Thurber, who was managing editor of the magazine between 1927 and 1933. Both rely on parody and satire; however, Thurber wrote mostly about the frustrations average people faced, and he had a special gift for heightening hysteria through exaggeration, a technique he used to intensify humor.

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