The_Daily_Currant

<i>The Daily Currant</i>

The Daily Currant

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The Daily Currant was an American satirical news blog that focused on politics, technology, and entertainment.[1] A number of its satirical stories have been mistaken for true news reports by the media.[2]

Quick Facts Type of site, Owner ...

The Daily Currant was a competitor to The Onion. According to Quantcast, the site received over 1.5 million page views a month.[3] By November 22, 2016, the site was no longer in operation.[4]

Articles

Several Daily Currant articles were reported by established news organizations, sometimes as fact.

"Rick Santorum on Grindr"

On July 3, 2012, the website published a satirical article saying that Rick Santorum had been caught using the gay dating app Grindr by a journalist during an interview. In the article, Santorum admitted using the app but said that he was looking for the nearest coffee shop.[5] Mashable later published an article, "Satirical Post About Santorum and Grindr Fools the Web".[6]

"George Bush Accidentally Votes for Obama"

On November 6, 2012, the website published a satirical article saying that former president George W. Bush had accidentally voted for Barack Obama because he could not figure out how to use the voting machine.[7] The article was reported as fact by news outlets in Texas,[8] went viral on the Internet[9][10] and appeared on the website of La Repubblica, Italy's largest national newspaper.[11]

Todd Akin hoax

Another story to receive wide publicity (and belief) was "Todd Akin Claims Breastmilk Cures Homosexuality", about conservative US congressman Todd Akin.[12] The article was widely shared on social media, and many people believed it was true.[13]

"Paul Krugman Declares Personal Bankruptcy"

On March 6, 2013, the site published a satirical article which said that Nobel Prize–winning economist Paul Krugman had filed for bankruptcy.[14] Breitbart thought the story was true, and later deleted its post without explanation.[15][16][17]

"Message from God on Mars"

Viral e-mails and Facebook posts said in 2013 that NASA's Curiosity rover had found gigantic stone tablets in a cave near Aeolis Mons which were marked with the Ten Commandments and the phrase "I Am Real". The hoax originated as a satirical Daily Currant article.[18]

"Marijuana Overdoses Kill 37 in Colorado on First Day of Legalization"

A story concocted shortly after recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado said that 37 people had died of marijuana overdoses, with the death toll expected to reach as high as 300 by the following week. The article contained a number of references to fictional characters, including one to Breaking Bad's Jesse Pinkman. Its satirical nature was not recognized by some, including Swedish Minister for Justice Beatrice Ask[19] and Annapolis Police Department chief Michael A. Pristoop.[20]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    About The Daily Currant, December 04, 2012
  2. [2]
    Bogira, Steve (10 December 2012). "Parodies lost: why satire must be banned from the Internet". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  3. [3]
    Quantcast: The Daily Currant Quantcast, December 04, 2012
  4. [4]
    The Quiet Death of ‘The Daily Currant’, Patient Zero in the Fake News Epidemic Vulture, November 22, 2016
  5. [5]
    Santorum Claims He Thought Grindr Was a Coffee App The Daily Currant, July 3, 2012
  6. [6]
    Satirical Post About Santorum and Grindr Fools the Web Mashable, July 3, 2012
  7. [7]
    "George Bush Accidentally Votes For Obama" The Daily Currant, November 6, 2012
  8. [8]
    "Presidential Election 2012: Daily Currant Jokes George W. Bush Accidentally Voted For President Obama". International Digital Times. November 7, 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  9. [9]
    Lee, Ben (Nov 8, 2012). "George W Bush 'accidental vote for Barack Obama' is hoax". Digital Spy.
  10. [10]
    Culp, Cindy V (November 6, 2012). "Nonsense alert: Satirical website posts George W. Bush hoax". Waco Tribune. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  11. [11]
    “Bush vota Obama per sbaglio”: Repubblica.it rilancia, ma è satira Il Fatto Quotidiano, July 7, 2012
  12. [12]
    Bennett-Smith, Meredith (2012-08-28). "Todd Akin Hoax: Daily Currant Satire Site Convinces Twitter That Congressman Believes Breast Milk Cures Homosexuality". Huffington Post.
  13. [13]
    "Why We're More Likely Than Ever Before To Believe Fake News". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. September 7, 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  14. [14]
    "Paul Krugman Declares Personal Bankruptcy". 6 March 2013.
  15. [15]
    Voorhees, Josh (March 11, 2013). "No Breitbart, Paul Krugman Hasn't Filed For Bankruptcy". Slate. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  16. [16]
    Bump, Philip (March 11, 2013). "Breitbart Duped by Krugman Bankruptcy — as Reported by Joke Website It Loves". The Atlantic.
  17. [17]
    Aymong, Maryalice (March 10, 2013). "Too good to check? Breitbart runs with fake Krugman bankruptcy story". MSNBC. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  18. [18]
    "NASA Finds Message from God on Mars - Hoax Analysis". 17 July 2013.
  19. [19]
    Victor Stenquist: "Beatrice Ask hånad efter satirmissen." ("Beatrice Ask mocked after misunderstood satire.") Aftonbladet 6 January 2014.
  20. [20]
    Jackson, Alex: "Annapolis police chief apologizes for citing hoax story in testimony against marijuana legalization." "The Capital Gazette" 26 February 2014.
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