Washingtonians began seeing headlines such as “Panda demands abortion” April 5, but they shouldn’t take it too seriously.
The nation’s most widely-read humor newspaper, The Onion, started publishing a D.C. edition earlier this month. Issues are available free of charge from newspaper boxes around campus and the District. Described as “America’s Finest News Source,” the satirical newspaper is being published by The Washington Post Company.
Chet Clem, The Onion’s editorial coordinator, said a D.C. edition was the paper’s obvious next step.
“It’s our 10th city and we’ve been itching to get (to D.C.),” Clem said. “We definitely wanted to bring journalistic integrity to the nation’s capital.”
The D.C. edition, which publishes 100,000 copies weekly, will carry mostly national content with a local entertainment section, titled the A.V. Club.
The Onion is known for its satire of current politics and trends and the media. Some recent headlines include: “Majority Of Parents Abuse Children, Children Report,” “Local Play Well Attended By Friends, Family;” and op-ed article “I Never Talk On The First Date.”
Chris Mincher, editor of the entertainment section, said the content is targeted toward college students because they generally appreciate satirical news.
“We’re trying to get (The Onion) on college campuses in the D.C. area and stay in tune with the college crowd,” Mincher said. “Generally they’re people who like us, and we like people who like us, so all around it’s a big ‘like-fest.'”
Recent District A.V. Club articles reviewed performances at The Black Cat and the 9:30 Club.
Sophomore Ogheneruemu “OG” Oyiborhoro, president of the Residential Advisory Council for Madison Hall and Student Association senator-elect, said he wants to see The Onion distributed in residence halls in the fall. He said he plans on proposing this in the SA Senate next semester.
“(The Onion) is pretty interesting, and I thought it would be cool to have something satirical that’s not too serious,” Oyiborhoro said.
He added that getting The Onion distributed in dorms will be easier than bringing back GWReads, a discontinued program that distributed The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today to residence halls. The program was cut last year because of budget constraints.
“We’re working on the logistics of it right now so it’s probably going to be in freshman dorms,” Oyiborhoro said. He said he presented the idea to the Madison Hall Community Director, who approved of it.
Sophomore Jenny Orgill said she is going to try to pick up The Onion when she sees new issues.
“I’m a big fan,” she said. “I read it all through high school.”
Freshman Khalil Hassam said he “loved” The Onion, speaking near the paper’s green newspaper box close to Kogan Plaza. “I appreciate the humor and diversity The Onion is going to bring, which I saw only recently with the Treekiller (The Hatchet’s April Fools’ issue).”
-Eric Roper contributed to this report.
