Abstract
Humor in the news
Judging by recent news stories, including the June demise of England's Punch magazine (a ghost of its former glory is still available on its website http://www.punch.co.uk), people worldwide are apparently losing their ability to recognize, much less to appreciate, satire. Perhaps the shocking nature of the September 11th terrorist attacks on New York's Twin Towers made people ready to believe anything, or maybe it is just that we are all so busy multi-tasking that we no longer pay close attention to what we are reading. Or what is even more likely is that in today's deconstructed society, educated people can know a great deal about many things while still missing the details that would allow them to recognize the ridiculousness of what they are reading.
© Walter de Gruyter
