Abstract
This article explores the cases of two satirical publications—The Clinic(Chile, 1998–) andBarcelona(Argentina, 2003–). Through critical humor, visual subversions, and parody, these independent magazines challenged mainstream journalism and official political discourse, offering alternative interpretations about the ruling class and society after traumatic periods—Pinochet’s military dictatorship in Chile and the 2001 economic crisis in Argentina. Through interviews with the editors and content analysis, this article examines how these satirical publications responded to their respective national contexts by questioning the functioning of power on several levels of society, and how they evolved after they became popular, negotiating their space within the national mediascape. This study also suggests the notion of hybrid alternative media to describe these publications, which became part of a liberating process of collective healing. Initially perceived in opposition to mainstream media in contexts when the press’s credibility had decreased, they filled gaps in their society’s political communication.
Highlights
Satire, “a blend of wit and criticism, aimed at political leaders and institutions” (Collins 1996, 645), has had a global resurgence during the past decades
Popular TV shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report proved influential in US political communication and political action (Baym 2010; Jones 2010; Day 2011), and some critics even called these shows “neo-modern” journalism (Baym 2005) or new types of public journalism (Faina 2012)
The use of parody unveils the artifice in contemporary news practices, and critical humor provides the tools to engage in serious political criticism
Summary
This article explores the cases of two satirical publications—The Clinic (Chile, 1998–) and Barcelona (Argentina, 2003–). Visual subversions, and parody, these independent magazines challenged mainstream journalism and official political discourse, offering alternative interpretations about the ruling class and society after traumatic periods— Pinochet’s military dictatorship in Chile and the 2001 economic crisis in Argentina. Building on theory on satiric infotainment and using the notion of hybrid alternative media, this article explores how these satirical publications negotiated their space in the national mediascape and their meaning between alternative, oppositional, and mainstream characteristics. In an era of increasing globalization, these publications highlight the idea that the relation between local culture and media still predominates They established a direct dialogue with the national context and can be considered social catalysts, with an important role in the process of collective healing after a traumatic crisis
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