2013-08-14
Explanation
This comic satirizes television news coverage and its tendency toward sensationalism. A news reporter is covering a violent incident, but a guest (wearing a hat) interjects with a dose of rational perspective: this particular violent incident bears no statistical relation to the average safety level, and in fact the level of violence in their country has been trending down for decades. This is a well-documented real-world phenomenon -- violent crime in most developed nations has been declining for years, but news coverage often creates the opposite impression.
The guest goes further, explaining that they are heavily reporting on the incident because the audience is "too dumb to appreciate things that actually affect your lives, and you'''ve done nothing to communicate to us otherwise." This is a pointed critique of the symbiotic relationship between sensationalist media and its audience: news outlets cover scary but statistically rare events because that is what draws viewers, and viewers never push back or demand more substantive coverage.
The news anchor, rather than engaging with this valid criticism, simply says "Very funny, Tom... Now we'''re on again in three... two..." and immediately pivots back to fear-based reporting with "Awww, their perverting influence is widespread, but could even small babies be in danger?" The votey panel has the anchor saying "But first: Local lady likes puppies!" -- a perfect parody of the trivial fluff stories that fill news broadcasts alongside the fear-mongering, highlighting how news alternates between scaring people and distracting them with meaningless content.