[Jokes] Oops!

[McKenna, Chris (RDSSW)]

 <<...OLE_Obj...>>  Ananova: 
 <<...OLE_Obj...>> 

Chinese paper apologises for printing satirical story as fact
A Chinese newspaper has apologised for using a spoof from the satirical US
tabloid The Onion as the basis for a true story.
The Beijing Evening News admits it was wrong to publish the article over
members of Congress threatening to leave Washington.
The report said politicians wanted a brand new Capitol built complete with a
retractable roof.
The paper rewrote the spoof as a real news story without giving a source.
The LA Times <http://www.latimes.com> says the newspaper told its readers a
reporter has "discovered that some of its contents were identical to The
Onion's joke article."
As well as accepting its mistake, the paper criticised The Onion.
It said: "Some small American newspapers frequently fabricate offbeat news
to trick people into noticing them, with the aim of making money. This is
what The Onion does."
The paper, which has a circulation of one million added: "We are open to our
readers' criticism, and we apologise."
Editor-in-chief of The Onion Robert Siegel said: "Wow, even journalists now
believe everything they read" when he found out about the newspaper's gaffe.
Story filed: 15:24 Thursday 13th June 2002