From hostile humour to stereotyping in televised satire Les Guignols de l’Info

Humour displayed by today’s media targets both individuals and communities and the degree to which it is perceived as a mere humoristic act or, more seriously, as an insult depends on a series of factors which point to: its creator (the goal he/she (c)overtly assumes to reach), its addressee (whether he/she is a witness or a target), and the context in which the act is performed (institutionalized vs non-institutionalized). This study takes into account several examples from the French show Les Guignols de l’Info in order to bring forth the language tools and discourse strategies by means of which the creators of the show build up a negative image of the Romanian people.