"The better the humor, the less offensive it is. Wit sticks better than caricature". Inés Olza, a researcher within the Public Discourse project of the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Navarra, argued this when she participated in the Sixth International Seminar on Language and Journalism, organized by the BBVA and the San Millan de la Cogolla Foundations, which Queen Letizia inaugurated.  It took place on May 25-26 at the International Research Center on the Spanish Language (Cilengua).

According to the researcher, "Certain cognitive mechanisms, such as creating unexpected scenarios, for example, putting on background music from the soundtrack of Terminator, unexpected situations, for example, making a politician a cook or housekeeper, or breaking expectations can be much more effective than adjectives meant to ridicule or insult".

Regarding the role of humor in information, which was the subject of one of the seminar’s three round tables, Olza noted that this resource can help transmit news better because it "captures our attention and automatically connects with our empathy. The public goes through two exercises: inferring the objective data being transmitted and reflecting on how it is moving us".

The limits of humor in information

As for the limits of humor in information, she stressed the importance of the initial pact. "If a format applies this resource to everything, for example, to a broad ideological spectrum, in principle the limits are broad as long as it is not disrespectful or untruthful," she said. "The problem comes,” Olza continued,  “when genres in which there is no initial pact on humor, such as a political talk show, introduce it anyway. It can be understood as acceptable or not".

On the other hand, she stressed that, "depending on the conventions in place, it is more or less acceptable to laugh at a given topic" and that "human behavior fluctuates between self-censorship and a search for free spaces."

In this context, she recommended, "getting into the humor’s context and laughing at one’s self" to gain legitimacy: "If I only laugh at others, I lose credibility because I do not apply it to myself". Olza also recommended moving from "laughing at the other" to "laughing with the other."

Finally, she alluded to the possibilities that different journalistic genres pose with regard to humor: "In print journalism, there is less of a chance to do something dynamic because the product is more static. Television or radio gives more opportunity because it allows for modification, to throw in a wink, use intonation, and to pause…”

Vignettes, comedy shows and linguistic resources

Inés Olza made these remarks at the Sixth International Seminar on Language and Journalism, which revolved around three roundtables, including “Information welcomed with humor”, “Humor and the creation of language”, “From the column to the tweet”, and “Vignetting”. Therein, participants analyzed different aspects of humor’s role in analyzing information and its evolution from satiric columns to networks or memes.

Participants also discussed topics such as vignettes, humoristic programs, language resources in humor and its contribution with new words and expressions, and the need to adapt languages ​​and styles within different formats.

Speakers at the conference included humorists Antonio Fraguas Forges and Vladimir Florez Vladdo, who gave the opening presentation. Additional participants included journalists Jorge Bustos of El Mundo, Magí Camps, Chief Editor of La Vanguardia, Nieves Concostrina, collaborator at the SER and RNE channels, Toño Fraguas, collaborator at the SER channel, Jaime Rubio and Javier Sampedro, both of El Pais, and Juan Soto of El Confidencial.

Leonor Ruiz Gurillo, a Professor of Spanish Language at the University of Alicante, also participated; in 2014, he took part in an ICS General Linguistics conference. Other participants included: Arcadio Esquivel, a Professor of Caricature Workshop at the University of Costa Rica, Elena Gómez, a Professor of Journalistic Writing at the European University of Madrid, and Julian Hernández, a musician and writer.

They were also joined by humorist Miguel Ángel López (Hematocritico), artist Siro López, the executive producer of The Intermedio, Miguel Sánchez Romero, Inés Olza, a researcher at the Institute for Culture and Society at the University of Navarra, and cartoonist Jaume Capdevila (KAP).