Irony and outrage

The polarized landscape of rage, fear, and laughter in the United States

Bibliographic Data

ID7500408
AuthorsJulia Fox (0000-0001-9956-8330, Indiana University, corresponding author), Julia R Fox (Associate Professor, The Media School, Indiana University)
Year2020
Volume71
Issue3
PagesE29-E31
Publication date2020-03-20
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9916 • E-ISSN: 1460-2466
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/joc/jqaa016
OpenAlexW3030647963
LanguageEN
Citations received9

In Irony and Outrage, Dannagal Goldthwaite Young equates the genres of liberal satire and conservative political talk shows, suggesting both are the result of a changing media landscape, growing public distrust of the media, and increasing political polarization. While clearly different, these genres, Young argues, serve similar needs and have similar effects on their audiences. The difference in the attraction to outrage talk programming on the right and satirical programming on the left, according to Young, is based on psychological differences between liberals and conservatives. The book starts with a historical review of these programming genres, beginning with the rise of conservative radio shows in the 1950s. Young credits the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 and the evolution of cable television networks in the wake of industry deregulation in the 1980s for the resurgence of the genre, and considers the launch of Bill O’Reilly’s program on The

Advertising · Distrust · Framing (construction · Irony · Laughter · Literature · Media studies · Outrage · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Repeal · Sociology · History · Humor Studies and Applications · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology · Social Psychology

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