Iranian news agency picks up Onion article as fact

A joke by the satirical newspaper The Onion appears to have gotten lost in translation.

An Iranian news agency picked up — as fact — a story from the paper about a supposed survey showing an overwhelming majority of rural white Americans would rather vote for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than President Barack Obama. But it was made up, like everything in the just-for-laughs newspaper, which is headquartered in Chicago.

The English-language service of Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency republished the story Friday, several days after it appeared in The Onion.

The Iranian version copied the original word-for-word, even including a made-up quote from a fictional West Virginia resident who says he'd rather go to a baseball game with Ahmadinejad because "he takes national defense seriously, and he'd never let some gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama does."

More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iRV5h4HSNLTSbsxvJpjpKkLWOWfw?docId=b7127112d2c54f95bbbe0d4e1cb0fe9f

Original Onion article:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/gallup-poll-rural-whites-prefer-ahmadinejad-to-oba,29677/

Hilarious, but i dont think its the first time this has happened.

I think sarcasm is unique to only the US and goes over the heads of most cultures, especially non-western ones.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2012 01:56PM by Hay Zeus.

Hay Zeus Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hilarious, but i dont think its the first time
> this has happened.
>
> I think sarcasm is unique to only the US and goes
> over the heads of most cultures, especially
> non-western ones.


Really, no other country has sarcasm? Does this mean illegals that come here don't understand sarcasm? Since we are the great melting pot of people from all over the world, where did sarcasm come from?

I'm pretty sure they just take advantage of whatever to tell whatever story they want to the general population. Just as is done by the press/government here. And I'm sure that there are many examples of jokes that we don't get either that are reported in distorted ways.

American Exceptionalism Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hay Zeus Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hilarious, but i dont think its the first time
> > this has happened.
> >
> > I think sarcasm is unique to only the US and
> goes
> > over the heads of most cultures, especially
> > non-western ones.
>
>
> Really, no other country has sarcasm? Does this
> mean illegals that come here don't understand
> sarcasm? Since we are the great melting pot of
> people from all over the world, where did sarcasm
> come from?


The Umbrella Corporation.

SoylentGreen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> American Exceptionalism Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hay Zeus Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Hilarious, but i dont think its the first
> time
> > > this has happened.
> > >
> > > I think sarcasm is unique to only the US and
> > goes
> > > over the heads of most cultures, especially
> > > non-western ones.
> >
> >
> > Really, no other country has sarcasm? Does
> this
> > mean illegals that come here don't understand
> > sarcasm? Since we are the great melting pot of
> > people from all over the world, where did
> sarcasm
> > come from?
>
>
> The Umbrella Corporation.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Sarcasm is a acquired taste served in minuet amounts.

Whether stupid, mendatious, or both, Fox did the same thing in November 2010.

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-11-26/entertainment/29981351_1_onion-readers-clue-theonion-com

Nice to see that they are all students of Goebels.

Thats not to say Iranians are stupid.

Just ask them anything about camels or Jihad, thats their specialties.

Bud Hoal... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Whether stupid, mendatious, or both, Fox did the
> same thing in November 2010.
>
> http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-11-26/ent
> ertainment/29981351_1_onion-readers-clue-theonion-
> com
>
> Nice to see that they are all students of Goebels.


I wonder if Susan Rice is in the same graduating class?

MSNBC got punked on this one. On April 1 no less.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/04/04/1080727/-Oops-MSNBC-reports-my-fictional-satire-piece-as-real-news


Then there was the classic Metallica planning to file lawsuits against any other bands using the chords E and F. Lots fell for that one.