Anyone who’s ever worked in television news knows it can be predictable and trite.  A friend in the business used to say there’s a formula for everything. Soundbites plus b-roll plus stand up equals package. Or live shot plus banter plus tease equals A-block. You get the idea.

If you thought that was our little secret, known only to those in TV news, think again. British columnist-comedian Charlie Brooker has done a hilarious send-up of the “visual language” of a typical TV news story on his BBC program, Newswipe.

You’ll laugh, I promise. You may also wince just a bit.

Talk about being on target! Then again, mocking TV news can be as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. If you haven’t seen it, this YouTube satire is a must-view: