ABSTRACT
It has been shown in the literature that various manifestations of a rich tradition of transgressive humor, from the political joke to the political cartoon, from popular theater to black comedy films, have acted as platforms for critical discourses that counter the narratives backed by the established powers and, as a result, have acquired the potential to contribute, by virtue of their enabling pluralism, to democratic government. This led us to reflect on the several factors that have shaped political satire in the Mexican context; focusing specifically on the fluctuating openness of the political system to expressions of dissent. We see mediated satire as being spaces that owe their complexity and constant transformation to the convergence of conditions of institutional and organizational order, five of which are highlighted: the clientelistic relations between television stations and political actors, self-censorship, commercial considerations, the political orientations of the media, and protective rituals.
