The Joker Myth as Mediated Stereotype in International Media Discourse

Abstract

This study is a critical mixed-methods investigation of the Joker’s ubiquity within international media discourse. The research comparatively examines the myth’s presence within The Guardian and The New York Times’ news reporting (1999–2020), and determines intermedia agenda-setting processes. Using a corpus linguistics approach, the paper also analyses news media’s deployment of the Joker as a figure of speech, with the purpose of identifying prom­inent news values. The results indicate a high prevalence of consonance, eliteness, proximity, negativity, and superlativeness. Moreover, the study investigates the role that user-generated media plays in perpetuating or countering dominant hegemonies, by semiotically analysing internet memes that use the myth within the r/meme subreddit community. Overall, the study finds that the Joker is a popular resource for the mediated construction of a derogatory stereotype, associated with sexist, racist and ableist myths, often in connection to political elites (Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Barack Obama), and serves as a tool for mockery, shame, and dramatization of events.