You shouldn’t believe everything that you read. Especially not what you see in fictional newspapers like The World of News from free Fringe show On the Line: Media. In this politically satirical show, a panel is assembled to discuss the authenticity and relevance of an article titled ‘Immigration Invasion’ published in that fake newspaper. The panel not only shows the absurdity of the fear-mongering it represents, but shines the spotlight on the media itself.
The panel includes the man in charge of The World of News, the female intern responsible for the research behind the article in question, and a man who has read the article and acted decisively in response to it. They are mediated by a journalist who isn’t as interested in getting a fair account of things as she says. Each has a vastly different perspective on the situation, and a shouting war commences.
There are some good laughs to be had as the panel shouts and flirts its way towards understanding the facts and their ramifications. Ultimately it does feel like each pair of characters has one joke between them which is repeated throughout the show. After the first twenty minutes, each interaction is rather predictable. The funniest element is the entire picture presented, which is closer to reality than we might like to think, but the jokes themselves are rather repetitive.
The greed, nationalism, and apathy of the panel’s members makes us laugh because we see ourselves as having moved past their bigoted views, yet something about the show is tragically familiar. On the Line seeks to make us laugh through pointing to the lack of accountability and reason behind some media outlets and the result it has on public belief. It is both funny and frightening to think about how close to the truth this satire may be.
