Interpreting Political Satire in Dawn: A Relevance-Theoretic Study of Editorial Discourse (Dec 2024–Feb 2025)

Abstract

The paper focuses on evaluating political jokes on the Dawn newspaper in the period between December 2024 and February 2025 using the Relevance Theory as an analytical tool. The study explores the extent to which authors employ irony, implicit meaning, contextual interpretation, and cognitive influence to satirize political events and government performance in Pakistan by using important satirical articles and opinion pieces on the topic. Relevance Theory where emphasis was given to optimal relevance assists in revealing how readers make inferences about the deeper meanings behind the literal meanings. The paper states that satirical discourse utilises a mutually understandable socio-political knowledge, cultural allusions, and practical conclusions to attract the attention of readers and increase the persuasiveness of commentary. It further discusses how satire influences the masses, challenges the establishment and enhances political consciousness at a time when there were electoral campaigns, issues in governance and power shifts. The results indicate that satire in Dawn serves as a cognitive and social-political instrument, which contributes to the media communication and journalistic criticism.

Keywords: Political Satire, Relevance Theory, Dawn Newspaper, Pragmatic Analysis, Media Discourse (2024–2025)