The mainstream media has become a huge component of our society. Whenever an issue arises, the public looks to their favorite news station to provide them with the information they desire. Many have a tendency to open their ears and eyes wholeheartedly, and believe whatever they are told. News stations want to be the first to report, and therefore are often inaccurate in their premature broadcasts. In lieu of the recent Boston crisis, Rick Mckee's cartoon sheds light upon this precarious relationship that the media has with its public. In the piece, Mckee uses contradictory diction and satirical tone to portray the fallacies of news networks.
The cartoon features an anchor reading the news to an onlooking American audience. Under the man, the words are written that would appear on his teleprompter. "In an exclusive, sources tell us that a suspect has been arrested and also that no suspects have been arrested and also that police have no suspects, and in fact, none of this may be true... But you heard it here first!" The man's words are clearly contradictory. He seems to report multiple stories about the suspects, with each of the following stories disproving the former. Mckee uses this diction to represent the institution of news as a whole. Every source seems to fight for the audience's attention, and in the process presents news that is wholly untrue. The final sentence also paints an air of satire into the cartoon. The anchor basically admits that he is reporting news that is completely untrue, however it is okay because their viewers heard it first. The news reporter is portrayed to be unintelligent and naive, for the entire purpose of his job is to report accurate news. Mckee points out the problem with news stations by poking fun at their tendencies. Through this contradictory diction and satirical tone, Mckee offers a successfully resonating and reflecting piece about the mainstream news.
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