Satiric Infotainment in Mexico: The case of Brozo, the Dark Clown

Summary

Brozo, the Dark Clown, is considered one of the most popular TV “journalists” in Mexico. This article analyzes the carnivalesque role of Brozo as an influential and critical voice in Mexican media: he is the court jester who, through vulgar and harsh humor, is able to say “truths” with impunity, in a country with widespread violence against journalists and a tradition of institutionalized corruption in the profession. At the same time, this article examines Brozo as an influential political actor from his TV show El Mañanero on Televisa, one of the most powerful media conglomerates of the world, with historic adhesions to the Mexican political elites. Finally, the case of Brozo is interpreted in relation to the emerging trend towards global infotainment.