Q: How Do You Write Satire About the Media Itself?

A: Holding Up a Mirror to the Fourth Estate – By Alan Nafzger

The Meta-Art of Media Satire

At Bohiney Magazine, we’ve developed a specialty in satirizing the very industry we’re part of. Here’s how we skewer media tropes without becoming hypocritical or self-loathing.

1. The “Self-Referential” Approach

We expose media absurdities by participating in them:

• *”Network Announces New 24/7 News Channel Covering Only Other News Channels”*

• “Journalists Protest AI Taking Their Jobs While Publishing AI-Written Articles”

2. The “Ratings-Driven” Technique

We push media logic to its darkest conclusions:

• “News Outlet Replaces Fact-Checkers With ‘Engagement Optimizers'”

• “Network Experiments With ‘Outrage-Only’ News Format”

3. The Bohiney Media Satire Checklist

Before publishing, we verify:
✓ Does this critique media behavior rather than individuals?
✓ Is the joke on the system, not the practitioners?
✓ Would real journalists laugh while feeling slightly attacked?
✓ Does it avoid becoming what it mocks?

4. The “Breaking News” Parody Formula

We mimic hysterical news coverage of non-events:

1. Breathless headline (“Could This Common Household Object Kill You?”)

2. Fake expert (“We spoke to Dr. who may or may not exist”)

3. Manufactured controversy (“Some people are saying…”)

4. Non-conclusion (“The answer may surprise you (or not)”)

5. Case Studies in Media Mockery

Our most effective pieces:

• “Local News Warns About Danger You Definitely Already Knew About”

• “Pundit Changes Entire Worldview Based on Single Poll”

• “Network Fires Last Fact-Checker to Cut Costs”

Final Thought: Satire as Media Criticism

When we write “News Station Cuts to Breaking Report About Upcoming Breaking Report”, we’re not just making jokes – we’re performing real journalism about journalism’s failings. Because sometimes the truth is best told through intentionally ridiculous fiction.

— Alan Nafzger