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cover of episode Christine Wenc's 'Funny Because It's True' calls 'The Onion' "the original fake news"

Christine Wenc's 'Funny Because It's True' calls 'The Onion' "the original fake news"

2025/3/31
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Andrew Limbaugh
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Christine Wenc
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Andrew Limbaugh: 我一直对《洋葱报》的简洁幽默风格很着迷，它能用最少的文字表达出最大的幽默效果，这体现了其写作技巧的高超之处。 Christine Wenc: 《洋葱报》的早期成功与麦迪逊市的低廉生活成本密切相关。低廉的生活成本使得年轻的创作者们能够全身心地投入创作，并有更多的时间和空间去尝试新的事物。麦迪逊市为《洋葱报》的诞生和发展提供了肥沃的土壤。 此外，早期《洋葱报》的幽默风格融合了反讽、滑稽和荒诞等多种元素，深受当时流行的脱口秀节目等文化的影响。这种独特的幽默风格使其在众多媒体中脱颖而出，并逐渐形成了其独特的品牌特色。随着时间的推移，《洋葱报》的幽默风格逐渐从最初的荒诞转向更贴近现实的讽刺，并逐渐确立了其进步的政治立场，将其融入其幽默之中。 在911事件后，《洋葱报》发表的幽默报道，在当时紧张的社会氛围中给人们带来了慰藉和希望，并提升了其品牌形象。这一事件也标志着《洋葱报》在新闻讽刺领域的影响力得到了进一步提升。 我认为《洋葱报》是‘好的假新闻’，因为它旨在通过讽刺指出社会问题，而非制造混乱和破坏真相。它试图通过幽默的方式来改善世界，并通过讽刺来揭示社会的不公和荒谬之处。 Scott Detrow: (作为主持人，Scott Detrow 没有表达核心观点，而是引导访谈的进行，并对Christine Wenc的观点进行补充和引导。)

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter explores the origins of The Onion, from its humble beginnings as an alt-weekly in Madison, Wisconsin, to its evolution into a multimedia platform. It examines the unique comedic style of its early writers and the factors that contributed to its success.
  • The Onion started as an alt-weekly in Madison, Wisconsin.
  • Its early humor was absurdist and tabloidy, influenced by shows like David Letterman.
  • Cheap living costs in Madison allowed young writers to experiment and develop their style.

Shownotes Transcript

The satirical news magazine The Onion has been putting out ironic and often absurd headlines for more than 40 years. Christine Wenc was part of the paper's original staff, dating back to its origins as an alt weekly in Madison, Wisconsin. Now, Wenc has written a book *Funny Because It's True: How the Onion Created Modern News Satire *that traces the history of the magazine's influence. In today's episode, she joins NPR's Scott Detrow for a conversation about the cheap living conditions that allowed the original The Onion staff to experiment, how the paper responded to 9/11, and why she believes The Onion is "good fake news."To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices)NPR Privacy Policy)