The theocratic regime in Iran earned global mockery last year when its state news agency fell for an article by the satirical newspaper The Onion, which claimed that a vast majority of rural whites in the U.S. would rather have a beer with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than President Obama. It turns out, however, that apparatchiks in the Iranian press are not the only ones to have mistaken parody for hard news. The Washington Post today published a blog post by Suzi Parker that claimed Sarah Palin, the former vice presidential candidate, had joined the Qatari-based news channel Al Jazeera. Parker went on to rub Palin's face in it a bit, noting the delicious irony that Fox News, Palin's former employer, had dubbed Al Jazeera "an anti-American terror mouthpiece."
The only problem with Parker's analysis is that Palin never joined Al Jazeera, and the only source that ever claimed so was the satirical site the Daily Currant. A sample from the Daily Currant's "scoop":
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Detentions and hostile treatment: is it safe to visit the US?The Explainer Spate of interrogations and deportations at US border sparking decline in overseas visitors
-
The financial changes to expect in 'Awful April'The Explainer As the new financial year begins, it brings changes for bills, wages and tax
-
Sudoku hard: April 2, 2025The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
-
US election: where things stand with one week to goThe Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Is Trump okay?Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
-
The life and times of Kamala HarrisThe Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
