El Jueves on its deathbed: from satire to propaganda pamphlet
El Jueves, Spain's historic satirical magazine, is dying amid accusations of propaganda, falling readership and reliance on public subsidies. The end of an era?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Why is El Jueves dying? From satire to pamphlet
What has become of El Jueves, the magazine that for decades was the barometer of Spanish political humour? The public debate about its state borders on an epitaph: accusations of sectarianism, loss of readers, dependence on subsidies and an editorial shift that, according to its critics, has turned it into a propaganda pamphlet rather than a satirical publication.
The turn that changed everything
Those who have trinc the magazine since its early days point to a turning point: the departure of the classic cartoonists and the adoption of an editorial line that, instead of taking aim at everyone, directed its darts solely at the political opposition. "Before, power was criticised; now, only The Others are criticised" is a recurring argument. The comparison with other historic magazines such as La Codorniz or El Papus becomes inevitable: while those marked an era, El Jueves is said to have mutated into an instrument serving one ideological current.
Public funding and accusations of propaganda
Another open front is financial. It has been speculated that the magazine depends to a large extent on government subsidies, and that its editorial line would be the price to pay for that flow of public money. Some even link it directly to international funding, although these claims lack solid evidence and belong more to the realm of conspiracy than of rigorous analysis. What is verifiable is that the fall in sales has been such that a few years ago it moved to a digital format, trying to survive in a hostile media environment with an increasingly polarised audience.
Humour as a weapon
The debate goes beyond El Jueves and points to a broader crisis of cartoon humour in Spain: the difficulty of making satire when each side demands absolute loyalty. "When the core goal is to generate opinion, it is neither humour nor art, but propaganda," sums up one of the most quoted reflections. The question left hanging is whether that drift is inevitable or whether there is still room for humour that challenges everyone equally. For now, the magazine is dying, but its epitaph has yet to be written.
What has become of El Jueves, the magazine that for decades was the barometer of Spanish political humour? The public debate about its state borders on an epitaph: accusations of sectarianism, loss of readers, dependence on subsidies and an editorial shift that, according to its critics, has turned it into a propaganda pamphlet rather than a satirical publication.
The turn that changed everything
Those who have trinc the magazine since its early days point to a turning point: the departure of the classic cartoonists and the adoption of an editorial line that, instead of taking aim at everyone, directed its darts solely at the political opposition. "Before, power was criticised; now, only The Others are criticised" is a recurring argument. The comparison with other historic magazines such as La Codorniz or El Papus becomes inevitable: while those marked an era, El Jueves is said to have mutated into an instrument serving one ideological current.
Public funding and accusations of propaganda
Another open front is financial. It has been speculated that the magazine depends to a large extent on government subsidies, and that its editorial line would be the price to pay for that flow of public money. Some even link it directly to international funding, although these claims lack solid evidence and belong more to the realm of conspiracy than of rigorous analysis. What is verifiable is that the fall in sales has been such that a few years ago it moved to a digital format, trying to survive in a hostile media environment with an increasingly polarised audience.
Humour as a weapon
The debate goes beyond El Jueves and points to a broader crisis of cartoon humour in Spain: the difficulty of making satire when each side demands absolute loyalty. "When the core goal is to generate opinion, it is neither humour nor art, but propaganda," sums up one of the most quoted reflections. The question left hanging is whether that drift is inevitable or whether there is still room for humour that challenges everyone equally. For now, the magazine is dying, but its epitaph has yet to be written.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (84 replies).
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