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Funny Or Die: Twitter Explodes With Debate Over The Onion Congressional Hostage Satire

by Zara Golden | 12:43 pm, September 29th, 2011

» 33 comments

Twitter hackings have become so common for news organizations we’ve almost stopped noticing. Earlier this week, USA Today fell victim to elite hacking group the Script Kiddies, who did not much more than ask people to ‘like’ them on Facebook, leading our own Jon Bershad to wonder if “the hackers ever worry that, by hacking everyone’s Twitter account, the novelty will ware off?” This morning, however, the Twittersphere was sent into spin by an out of character tweet from The Onion‘s account.

The tweet in question read, “BREAKING: Witnesses reporting screams and gunfire heard inside Capitol building.”

The Onion, the paper of satirical record, doesn’t really do “breaking news,” nor do they do “real” news. They also have tended to keep their Twitter straight business, posting just headlines and the accompanying links. When the “BREAKING” tweet broke into other’s streams, the internet took notice and began to wonder if the fake news’ twitter had been hacked by someone posting…fake news?

“Did idiot hackers hack the @TheOnion thinking it was a real news org?” asked Gawker’s Adrian Chen. Slate’s Dave Weigel thought maybe it was Anonymous’s doing.

When I called after the first tweet went up, an Onion spokesperson assured me that the tweets were intentional and that I would otherwise just have to stay tuned. They also asked me if I “get” what The Onion does. So yeah, joke was on me.

By that point, the second “BREAKING” tweet had gone out, this time with the more markedly absurdists details typical of The Onion. “BREAKING: Capitol building being evacuated. 12 children held hostage by group of armed congressmen. #CongressHostage,” it read. Twitter seemed to be coming around to the joke, and shortly after, just at the spokesperson hinted they would, The Onion tweeted a link to the now well-hyped story, “Congress Takes Group Of School Children Hostage.” Lots of people who wouldn’t have otherwise clicked the link, and so at least in that sense the stunt was successful.

They’ve since continued the act with a tweet about the hostage taker’s chaperones (one of whom is pregnant!) and another about Congressman Eric Cantor buying 6 semi-automatic handguns.

Twitter is, for the most part, not having it. And neither are the U.S. Capitol Police, who quickly issued a rather serious response:

It has come to our attention that recent twitter feeds are reporting false information concerning current conditions at the U.S. Capitol,” Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said in an e-mail statement. “Conditions at the U.S. Capitol are currently normal. There is no credibility to these stories or the twitter feeds. The U.S. Capitol Police are currently investigating the reporting.

This all comes following the arrest of a man who was planning to build what are essentially explosive-laden toy planes to fly into the Pentagon and Capitol building; and, perhaps more pointedly, after a morning of commenters noting “How Onion!” it is that Al Qaeda has asked Iran’s Ahmadinejad to quit it with the 9/11 conspiracy stuff. Things are kind of funny, and kind of scary, and definitely sensitive.

A few brave souls have defended The Onion calling it “brilliant satire” and criticizing those who found the tweets and story to be offensive as not getting the joke. Of course there is a clear distinction between understanding why a joke is intended to be funny and simply finding it unfunny or even tasteless. Just because The Onion has a tremendous legacy of smart and insightful comedy, doesn’t mean that ever parody will resonate with their audience. Judging by the reaction on Twitter, most found their latest effort to fall short of the comedy mark.

Was the Onion‘s joke too much? Funny as it sounds, the man with the planes was serious enough to merit arrest, and really, taking credit (or blame, depending on whose side you’re on) is an Al Qaeda trademark — it’s not exactly pot meet kettle black, there. The Onion‘s joke wasn’t funny, but it got us, they stopped us, and they made us really think about it. Isn’t that ultimately what satire does? If it was good, we might also all be laughing, but the Onion seems to have proved the point. Will the Onion‘s tweets get us back on our toes? After these past few days, maybe this was a good exercise for all of us.

hacking, jokes, The Onion, twitter

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6S65AS66NUXZIHIWPMEZWA5CMI Kevin O

As a follow up, see how the Onion tweeted when Osama Bin Laden was killed. Did they “report” that news as it was happening?
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

Not funny. And not appropriate. And Capital workers didn’t like it, either.
http://twitter.com/#!/MrMcLeez/status/119421746649628672
ac96

You know there’s a major copy editing problem at Mediaite when they misspell the name of one of their own writers in SECOND sentence of the story. Would be fine if it was a rare mistake. Unfortunately, these kinds of errors drag down what otherwise would be a promising site.
Jon Bershad

That’s actually the name of an alternate universe version of me who wrote a similar post.
Jon Bershad

The joke is as dark and funny as the Onion always is. However, they probably should have tweeted the clear joke tweet first. I think this is one of those occasions where their attempt to perfectly emulate that which they’re parodying got the better of them. Sure, in these occasions you do usually see a tweet like that before the details come forward, but, when you’re using Twitter and you know there are going to be a few minutes between the set up and the punch line…

I don’t know. I can see why people don’t like it. At the same time, it’s The Onion’s Twitter. In 2011, how the heck are people still getting fooled by them?
Farnsworth

The more that people get pissed about this the funnier it gets.
Farnsworth

With respect, what difference does it make in what order the tweets happened? Anyone on the Onion’s Twitter feed knows not take a comedy news site seriously and anyone who does is either a crank or an idiot. If the Onion made allowances for these people it would no longer be funny.
Anonymous

It is called comedy, people. The Onion is well known for this. More false outrage over a joke from a place that labels themselves as comedy and parody.
Anonymous

Granted, it would have been funnier if it had occurred during or soon after the budget battle, when Democrats were tossing “hostage” accusations left and far left. Perhaps more people would have gotten the joke. Then again, The Onion’s readership tends to skew leftward, and not everyone has the ability to laugh at themselves.
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

I saw tweets from people who work there, and thought they were real. That’s what makes it not funny. And in light of the current arrest, and on going violence wrt shootings, it’s just not funny.
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

i’m not pissed, nor outraged. i think it was inappropriate and not funny. i am right.
Nate

Is that like kitchen WARE? Knives, forks, dishes, etc.?
Or is it WEAR, like to grind down, to get older.
My WARES are starting to show signs of WEAR.
And to help you further here are more improper word usages.

Word Usages – Simplified. (All found in posts, blogs and articles).break v. brake break is to destroy; brake is in your carWhy did you break your toy?You need to apply the brake to slow the car down.their v. there their refers to possession; there refers to a placeThey are going there to get their belongingsbear v. bare bear is a big animal, stand-by; bare you have no clothes on or barren I can’t wait for bear season to go hunting.Just bear with me for a while.I accidentally walked into the girl’s shower. All the girls were bare. The cupboard was bare as they had no money for food.hear v. here hear is to ear; as here is to a placeI called to my friend to come here but he couldn’t hear me. whether v. weather whether refers to choice; weather is the outdoor condition, snow, rain.Whether you want to stay or go is up to you.The weather outside is frightful; windy and cold.waste v. waist. waste is garbage; waist is the middle part of your body. The job interview was a waste of time.Your belt goes around your waist..write v. right. write is putting pen to paper; right is correct, proper or directionWill you write that letter now?Do you have the right experience to do this job? Take a right turn at the end of the street.it’s v. its it’s is a contraction of it is. its is the possessive of it. It’s not OK to cheat on your exam.Charity is its own reward.there v they’re there refers to a place; they’re is a contraction of they are.They’re going there next week.your v. you’re your is possession; you’re is a contraction of you are.Get your crap out of here. You’re a joke.then v. than then refers to time; than is used for comparison.Prices were lower then. Let’s eat first then we’ll go home.He is younger than me. She is a better swimmer than her brother.
threw v. through threw, past tense of throw, through, pass from one end to the other. v. thru He threw his girlfriend in the lake. The train went through the tunnel.
Thru – is an informal, simplified spelling of the word t-h-r-o-u-g-h.
Should never be used in formal writing. May be used in texting like when space is limited or in close personal correspondence.

If anyone finds an error in this, please notify me. I’m only near perfect.
http://billschmalfeldt.com/ Parky Bill

This was a rare #twitterfail for the Onion. They should have led
with their second tweet and scrapped the first one. The 140-character
nature of Twitter embodies the spirit of “brevity is the soul of wit”.
Twitter requires satire writers to be brief AND witty. Most of the time,
their tweets are CLEARLY satirical. This time, they blew it.
http://www.billschmalfeldt.com/?p=744
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IC7HRBJRXKA7IKTTZS5W3UIECQ Agent of Truth

Too Funny!
Pedant

Hey now Mediaite doesn’t need “lot’s” of editors like those other big name publications. It doesn’t use any, in fact. …Please tell me they aren’t paying someone to miss all this stuff.
Anonymous

It’s 2011. The Onion has been around for nearly 20 years now. How is this even a story at this point? How can anyone take anything that the Onion tweets at face value.
Frod

No, it’s definitely funny.
Glutton

Anyone who thought it was real must be a complete moron. You work with morons. It’s not the fault of The Onion, it’s the fault of the morons that you work with. If I worked where you worked, I would be laughing at your co-workers.
Glutton

Very funny actually, and the fact that the Capitol workers didn’t like it makes it even funnier.
Glutton

LOL very true.
Glutton

No, you’re not right. It was inappropriate, but VERY FUNNY. The very fact that it’s causing such a stir is adding to the comic value. I am right.
Glutton

Anyone who is outraged about this has an IQ that’s less than an onion’s.
Pablo

It’s the Onion. It’s what they do. Anyone who takes it seriously is doing it wrong.

Was it funny? Not really. But that doesn’t much matter. What’s sad is that the funny is all in the Twitter freakout.

How do people on Twitter not get what The Onion is? Google it, people.
Pablo

That would be a devastating slam if you didn’t mistake Sara mentioning tweets from people who work there for her saying she worked there. Your first sentence has some basis in fact. The next three are dumb and wrong. Oops.
Aryadne

I almost agree but the one problem people forget is the retweets which goes out to non-Onion followers. So there are plenty of folks getting these tweets that don’t know who The Onion is. Lots of my friends don’t know who they are.

Every tweet they posted should have been written in a way to make it clear that it was a joke. Tweets are like mini-posts and you never know whose going to read them. You don’t have control over that.
Frod

If you can read retweets then you can use google. Nobody would take serious news as fact from Twitter without verifying it from another actual news source first. This entire hullabaloo is strictly for the professionally outraged.
http://www.sarainitalyblog.blogspot.com/ sarainitaly

I just don’t think terrorizing people about shootings and gun violence is funny. We have seen far too many real instances of shootings and terrorism. And to scare people that work in DC, like the Capital, I just don’t find it funny, or clever.

Some people were scared shitless. That’s not funny.

Isn’t that a bit like yelling fire in a crowded theater?

You call people in the capitol morons, yet can’t understand my simple comment? I don’t work there. But trust me, people are laughing at you.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MDT3DQ7IHS3SQOR7B3VN3ZDGBU Alexandra

Ocd much?
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MDT3DQ7IHS3SQOR7B3VN3ZDGBU Alexandra

Perhaps it was premonitory!;)
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MDT3DQ7IHS3SQOR7B3VN3ZDGBU Alexandra

Actually it was definitely hilarious because it’s essentially true. You can kill people with guns in a hostage situation, or by depriving them of food & healthcare in a different kind of hostage situation. One is at least obvious & going to get attention; the other, thanks to the just-world hypothesis & those with high levels of social-dominance orientation, get’s little/often the unfactual kind.
The people crying about this don’t have anything real to cry about, & can’t stand that b/c they Love having something to cry about. It’s why we have so much dumb tv, & part of what makes us American. Distance yourself & deal with it or go down with it
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MDT3DQ7IHS3SQOR7B3VN3ZDGBU Alexandra

Actually you’re not right, just self-centered!
Csinate

Someone complained about misspelling on this blog site. I find word usage a much greater sin such as
“the novelty will WARE off . . .”
What do you call two words that sound alike but have an entirely different meaning? (This is a test question).
WARE – like kitchen ware, silverware, items used to perform other tasks, such as eating.
WEAR – wear a hole in your pants, to use as in “I think I will wear my heavy sweater today because of the cold”. You are WEARing out your welcome.
Or in this case, “the novelty will WEAR off . . .”.
Especially the one that makes me think that the writer is really stupid is BREAK v. BRAKE.
I read this improper word usage in a report written by a school teacher. Wonder why our kids aren’t getting a proper education.
Csinate

Took you a whole month to find me but wasn’t it worth it? You don’t comment on MoveOn.Org do you? That’s a Marxist/Liberal/Progressive/Internationalist/AgainstSecondAmendment site paid for by George Soros who is all of the descriptions above. And you don’t have any children because if you did you’d worry about their freedom when they grow up. As for myself I would much rather be a Warrior than a slave of a nanny state. Put two and two together and you might find my web site. Poor lost soul.