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The Irony of Satire: Deconstructing the Humor of Stephen Colbert

One of the dangerous things about humor is it can sometimes be misunderstood, especially when it comes to satire. Take Comedy Central's the Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert is a liberal comedian who plays a conservative commentator as a way of poking fun at conservative ideology. Some Ohio State University researchers surveyed liberals and conservatives on their perceptions of the show and found while both groups find the show equally funny they tend to view the humor very differently. Heather LaMarre is the lead author of the article "The Irony of Satire" recently published in the International Journal of Press/Politics. She spoke with Morning Edition host Eric Wellman.