ABSTRACT

Comedy can hold political actors accountable, for instance through satire. But what kind of moral negotiation concerns comedians? Utilizing an understanding of accountability as a dynamic of interaction between media actors and the values of their audience, this study explores the concept of comedy accountability, combining qualitative interviews with case study analysis. Five ethical values central to comedy accountability are proposed: truth-telling, freedom of speech, order and cohesion, human dignity and equality, and nonmaleficence. Results show the values to be highly present both in media commentary and in the claims of comedians, with an emphasis on freedom of speech and nonmaleficence for defenders of controversial comedy, and an emphasis on human dignity and equality and nonmaleficence for protesters of controversial comedy. The negotiation of these values happens predominantly within the market frame of accountability, with defenders also using legal-regulatory and professional responsibility arguments while protesters use public responsibility arguments.

摘要

喜剧可以让政治演员承担责任，例如通过讽刺。但是喜剧演员需要什么样的道德谈判呢？本研究将问责制理解为媒体演员与其观众价值观之间互动的一种动态，将定性访谈与案例研究分析相结合，探讨了喜剧问责制的概念。提出了喜剧问责制的五个核心伦理价值观：讲真话、言论自由、秩序和凝聚力、人类尊严和平等以及无恶意。结果表明，这些价值观在媒体评论和喜剧演员的声明中都高度体现，强调有争议的喜剧捍卫者的言论自由和无恶意，并强调有争议的喜剧抗议者的人类尊严、平等和无恶意。