The Onion
Satricial website that from 2024 promised to "go after like every facet of alternative media". |
Started: 1996
Founders: Tim Keck, Christopher Johnson
Owner: Jeff Lawson
The Onion is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news.
History
It originated as a weekly print publication in 1988. The Onion began publishing online in early 1996. In 2013, The Onion stopped publishing its print edition. The website has been sold several times, first by Univision[1] in 2016, then in 2019 to Great Hill Partners.
In 2024 The Onion was on the verge of collapse when it was bought by tech billionaire Jeff Lawson and financial supporter of Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
2024 "go after every facet of alternative media"
In November 2024, Lawson purchased Alex Jones' Infowars after an unprecedented $1.5 billion judgment against Jones regarding Sandy Hook.[2]
To lead The Onion's parent company, which controls Infowars, Lawson appointed Ben Collins,, a CEO with no background in comedy or business. Collins is a former "disinformation and extremism" reporter for NBC News.[3][4]
Collins promised a change in editorial policy: "we're gonna go after like every facet of alternative media that is trying to get you addicted to stupid stuff." His top targets will be "podcasters and TikTok influencers who have some really curious ideas of the world."[5] The Onion plans to rebuild Infowars and feature well-known internet humor writers and content creators.[6]
References
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/katiesola/2016/01/19/univision-the-onion/
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/14/business/media/alex-jones-infowars-the-onion.html
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/business/media/the-onion-sold.html
- ↑ https://berkeleybeacon.com/emerson-alum-ben-collins-finds-success-covering-dystopian-beat/
- ↑ https://x.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1857308508900696416
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/nov/14/onion-info-wars-alex-jones