How the Onion Writes Headlines

The Onion feeds the public's need for satiric news coverage

(NEWSER) - As newspapers lay off workers and struggle to survive, the Onion is adding staff and circulating in new markets, the Washington Post reports. Riding the crest of America's love for Jon Stewart-style satirical news, the 20-year-old paper pays writers well and holds down a New York City office. "It's scary," the paper's editorial manager says. "It's a little terrifying that real news is crashing while fake news is growing." More»

(NEWSER) - The Onion, bucking a 20-year trend, plans to cover tomorrow's election results in something resembling real time, the AP reports. The "satirical newspaper of record" and its website have prepared articles and videos in advance, requiring long hours unfamiliar to its writers. “It has become sort of necessary for us to really do a little more coverage than we normally would,” says editor Joe Randazzo. More»

From a Wisconsin dorm to a NYC highrise, satirical newspaper's key lies in lies

(NEWSER) - When a wisecracking newspaper was born in a Wisconsin dorm room in 1988, no one predicted it would one day be installed in sleek Manhattan offices, producing fake print and television news, and rolling in dough. But the Onion's president isn’t surprised, CBS reports. The paper “attracts this really great audience. And advertisers really wanna reach these people." More»

Rep. John Fleming outraged over fake Planned Parenthood facility

(NEWSER) - The Abortionplex, a fake business dreamed up by the Onion , has fooled quite a few naïve souls who were simply outraged when they read about it. Now you can add a Louisiana congressman to the list of people who, somehow, failed to figure out that the Abortionplex is a joke. Literally Unbelievable , a blog dedicated to people who take Onion articles as fact, has a screenshot of Rep. John Fleming's Facebook page, where he links to the Onion article with this note: "More on Planned Parenthood, abortion by the wholesale." More»

They report 'screams and gunfire'

(NEWSER) - The Onion seems to have registered a rare misfire in the joke department. It set off a scare at the US Capitol this morning with a fake tweet reading, “BREAKING: Witnesses reporting screams and gunfire heard inside Capitol building," reports the Washington Post . A few others in a similar vein followed, and it turns out the site was promoting this satirical story , headlined "Congress Takes Group of Schoolchildren Hostage." More»