Understanding the figurative message in satirical news is complicated. Results from corpus and behavioral studies identify features that influence this process.

Satirical news has become a popular means of delivering a subtle, humorous critique targeting a wide range of public and private entities. What linguistic clues might exist to suggest a satirical intent in a text? And, what makes someone “good” at understanding satirical news? For instance, when reading written satirical news, how do different cognitive, demographic, and affective features converge to influence the interpretation of the satire? Moreover, how can the comprehension of a satirical text even be measured?