The Daily Currant

The Daily Currant
Web address dailycurrant.com
Commercial? Yes
Type of site
 Blog
Owner Currant Media
Launched July 2012
Current status Active

The Daily Currant is an American satirical news blog that focuses on politics, technology, and entertainment.[1] A number of its satirical stories have been taken for true news reports by press.[2]

The Daily Currant is a competitor to The Onion. According to Quantcast, the site garners over 1.5 million page views a month.[3]

Content

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

"Rick Santorum on Grindr"

On July 3, 2012 the site published a satirical article claiming that Rick Santorum has been caught using gay dating app Grindr by a journalist during an interview; in the article, Santorum admitted to using the app, but stated that he thought it was for finding the nearest coffee shop.[4] Mashable later published an article "Satirical Post About Santorum and Grindr Fools the Web".[5]

"George Bush Accidentally Votes for Obama"

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

Todd Akin hoax

Another story to receive wide publicity and belief was "Todd Akin Claims Breastmilk Cures Homosexuality", attributing beliefs to the conservative US congressman Todd Akin.[11] The article was widely shared on social media, with many people believing it was true.[12]

"Paul Krugman Declares Personal Bankruptcy"

On March 6, 2013 the site published a satirical article which said that the Nobel Prize–winning economist Paul Krugman had filed for bankruptcy.[13] Breitbart.com mistook the story as being true.[14][15][16][17]

"Sarah Palin Calls for Invasion of Czech Republic"

The site published an alleged interview with Palin where she called for action on the Boston Marathon bombing and an invasion of Prague. "And let's not stop at the Czech Republic, let's go after all the other Arab countries too."[18] This led to the headline “Let’s burn Prague: Sarah Palin Calls for the Invasion of the Czech Republic” in Wprost, one of Poland’s top news publications, who withdrew the story after Facebook posts questioned it. [19]

"Message from God on Mars"

Viral e-mails and Facebook posts claimed in 2013 that NASA's Curiosity rover had found gigantic stone tablets in a cave near Aeolis Mons that were marked with the Ten Commandments and the phrase "I Am Real". However, this was a hoax that originated as a satirical Daily Currant article.[20]

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

A story concocted shortly after recreational marijuana became purchasable in Colorado claimed that 37 people had died of marijuana overdose thus far, with the death toll expected to reach as high as 300 by the following week. The article contained numerous references to fictional characters including one to Breaking Bad's Jesse Pinkman. The article's satirical nature was not understood by some, including the Swedish Minister for Justice, Beatrice Ask[21] and Annapolis Police Department Chief Michael A. Pristoop.[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ About The Daily Currant, December 04, 2012
  2. ↑ Bogira, Steve (12.10.12). "Parodies lost: why satire must be banned from the Internet". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 11 February 2013. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ↑ Quantcast: The Daily Currant Quantcast, December 04, 2012
  4. ↑ Santorum Claims He Thought Grindr Was a Coffee App The Daily Currant, July 3, 2012
  5. ↑ Satirical Post About Santorum and Grindr Fools the Web Mashable, July 3, 2012
  6. ↑ "George Bush Accidentally Votes For Obama" The Daily Currant, November 6, 2012
  7. ↑ "Presidential Election 2012: Daily Currant Jokes George W. Bush Accidentally Voted For President Obama". International Digital Times. November 7, 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  8. ↑ Lee, Ben (Nov 8, 2012). "George W Bush 'accidental vote for Barack Obama' is hoax". Digital Spy.
  9. ↑ Culp, Cindy V (November 6, 2012). "Nonsense alert: Satirical website posts George W. Bush hoax". Waco Tribune. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  10. ↑ “Bush vota Obama per sbaglio”: Repubblica.it rilancia, ma è satira Il Fatto Quotidiano, July 7, 2012
  11. ↑ Bennett-Smith, Meredith (2012-08-28). "Todd Akin Hoax: Daily Currant Satire Site Convinces Twitter That Congressman Believes Breast Milk Cures Homosexuality". Huffington Post.
  12. ↑ "Why We’re More Likely Than Ever Before To Believe Fake News". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. September 7, 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "Paul Krugman Declares Personal Bankruptcy". 03/06/2013. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ↑ Voorhees, Josh (March 11, 2013). "No Breitbart, Paul Krugman Hasn't Filed For Bankruptcy". Slate (magazine). Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  15. ↑ How an Austrian Blogger's Report that Paul Krugman Filed for Bankruptcy Ended Up On Boston.com
  16. ↑ Bump, Philip (March 11, 2013). "Breitbart Duped by Krugman Bankruptcy — as Reported by Joke Website It Loves". The Atlantic.
  17. ↑ Aymong, Maryalice (March 10, 2013). "Too good to check? Breitbart runs with fake Krugman bankruptcy story". MSNBC. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Sarah Palin Calls for Invasion of Czech Republic". The Daily Currant. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Sarah Palin Parody Mistaken for Real News". Newsmax.com. April 23, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  20. ↑ "NASA Finds Message from God on Mars - Hoax Analysis".
  21. ↑ Victor Stenquist: "Beatrice Ask hånad efter satirmissen." ("Beatrice Ask mocked after misunderstood satire.") Aftonbladet 6 January 2014.
  22. ↑ Jackson, Alex: "Annapolis police chief apologizes for citing hoax story in testimony against marijuana legalization." "The Capital Gazette" 26 February 2014.

External links

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