'The Onion' Apologizes For Presidential Poll
The satirical news site reported a bogus poll: 77 percent of rural white voters would rather vote for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than President Obama. The Iranian news agency Fars did not understand it was a joke, and reported the survey as fact.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep with news from The Onion. The satirical news site reported a bogus poll - 77 percent of rural white voters would rather vote for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than President Obama. You can decide if that joke was tasteless, but the Iranian news agency Fars did not understand it was a joke. It reported the survey as fact. Yesterday, the editors grudgingly apologized, but then added that many Americans would prefer anyone to President Obama. It's MORNING EDITION.
Copyright © 2012 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.