Beating them to the punch (line): there is no shortage of satire in the media these days. Who's the target? More and more it's legislators. What you should know to avoid being fodder.

• Author: McPherson, Doug

At first glance, it looks like any other television news interview. A well-dressed and dapper man, the interviewer, sits a few feet across from a friendly looking middle-aged woman, the interviewee, in a typical-looking office.

But within seconds, it's clear this is about as far away from typical as interviews get.

"You're very angry, I understand," the interviewer says.

The lady appears flustered and she sighs.

The interviewer looks at her with concern, eyebrows crumpled. He leans forward and says in a quiet voice, "Dialogue," as he moves his hands back and forth.

"Were you gerrymandered?" the interviewer asks in the tone of a child psychologist.

"Yes," the lady answers. "We all were. It's a horrible abuse of power."

"Is Tom DeLay the abuser?" the interview asks.

Silence.

"Leticia, is it Tom DeLay?" he probes.

"Yes," she finally answers.

The interviewer then holds up a pillow shaped like Texas. "I know this might be difficult, but could you show me where Tom DeLay tried to redistrict you?"

Laughs explode.

Welcome to one of the hottest TV shows in the country, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," a nightly and self-proclaimed 'fake news' half-hour series on cable's Comedy Central channel that's saturated in satire, and not just any satire, but a brand of piercing political satire.

The interview is the show's take on Senator Leticia Van de Putte of San Antonio, Texas, leading fellow Democratic Texas lawmakers to New Mexico in 2003 to protest a Republican effort to redraw the state's congressional districts.

The show has garnered prestigious awards, plenty of notoriety and the attention of a demographic that make advertisers all droopy-mouthed: 18- to 49-year-olds (median age is 39), 60 percent male, affluent and well-educated. And, oh yes, 1.5 million viewers per show.

OPEN SEASON?

Some PR experts say it's now open season on politicians because fake news anchors, late night comedians, critical cartoonists and just regular citizens, all heavily armed with satire, have plenty of good hunting grounds.

"The proliferation of alternative media outlets such as websites, blogs and cable TV is causing more opportunities for people to make fun of bills and legislators," says Harold Cook, owner of Harold Cook & Associates, a media relations firm in Austin, Texas.

Cook says it all started with alternative weekly newspapers and "The Tonight Show" monologue, and has continued into the news and entertainment shows that traditionally concentrated on Hollywood "news," and has now evolved into the fake news entertainment shows like "The Daily Show."

"The underlying point of any story on these news satire shows will be 'have you ever seen anything so absurd?'" Cook says.

And "absurd" has been easy to find, according to Steve Albani, a spokesperson...