The ministry of satire: How political comedians went from critics of democracy to its defenders

This essay illustrates how critical content has shifted in political satire in the post-broadcast era. Today, in addition to critical content, we find a significant presence of constructive content, where satirists are not just critiquing the power elite, they are schooling them on what they should be doing. In what the author refers to as the “ministry of satire,” political comedians have increasingly taken on the role of conservators of democratic institutions. Drawing on a range of examples of satirists defending democracy, rather than simply critiquing its inadequacies, this article argues that satire has entered an entirely new content mode, one that can be observed outside of the US as well. Today it is common for satirists to paint themselves as more patriotic than politicians.