El Koshary Today is an Egyptian online news website that features satire and political parody. The website is named after a common Egyptian dish consisting of a spaghetti mixture that may also contain lentils, rice, and chickpeas. According to Zohny, "Koshary is sort of a very reflective meal of the country in the sense that it's a very chaotic kind of meal". [1]
The website began in 2008 when three friends got together to start a newspaper similar to America's The Onion, but with a specific philosophy. When a newsprint edition didn't work out, they decided to publish online. Initially they wrote anonymously under the pen names Makarona (macaroni), Ward Zeyada (extra onions) and Subar Lox (large-sized Koshary). [2]
News items are not added on any schedule, but as inspiration strikes. Past topics have included the 2011 Egyptian revolution as well as the 2012 Egyptian presidential election. [1]
The El Koshary Today portal has the appearance of a mainstream news site. Sections are categorized in the same manner as news websites: Features, International, Opinions, Arts, Science-Fiction and Technology, Sports, and Mind and Soul, and even Classified ads and "Horrorscopes." [2]
Fake headlines mock the news by putting a twist on actual government messages. One such mock headline quoted the government as saying, "Complaining to strangers may lead to annihilation," a play on government ads warning Egyptians not to talk with foreigners. [1]
The website's philosophy is to use satire and imagination to raise awareness of national issues in a way that is humorous, but also invites action. [3] Websites such as El Koshary Today and others have been credited with part of a larger global trend towards the use of social media and humor to create political change that reached a much broader public during the 2011 Egyptian revolution in Cairo's Tahrir Square. [4]
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposing or shaming the perceived flaws of individuals, corporations, government, or society itself into improvement. Although satire is usually meant to be humorous, its greater purpose is often constructive social criticism, using wit to draw attention to both particular and wider issues in society.
The Onion is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on August 29, 1988, in Madison, Wisconsin. The Onion began publishing online in early 1996. In 2007, they began publishing satirical news audio and video online as the Onion News Network. In 2013, The Onion ceased publishing its print edition and launched Onion Labs, an advertising agency.
News satire or news comedy is a type of parody presented in a format typical of mainstream journalism, and called a satire because of its content. News satire has been around almost as long as journalism itself, but it is particularly popular on the web, with websites like The Onion and The Babylon Bee, where it is relatively easy to mimic a legitimate news site. News satire relies heavily on irony and deadpan humor.
Faking News, originally started as a form of blog, was an Indian news satire website that published fake news reports containing satire on politics and society of India. It was a critique of mainstream news media in India. The website also published occasional serious articles related to television journalism in India. The website was launched on September 15, 2008.
Kambiz Hosseini is an Iranian political satirist, actor, television host, and radio host. He is the host of Paradox, a Podcast series that airs on Radio Farda. He was the host of Poletik, a satirical news program that airs on Radio Farda, as well as weekly podcast on human rights in Iran, Five in the Afternoon. He created and hosted the successful and critically acclaimed TV show Parazit on Voice of America from 2009-2012.
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Duffel Blog is an American military news satire organization featuring satirical articles reporting on national security and US military topics. It is often described as "the military version of The Onion." It was founded in March 2012 by Marine veteran Paul Szoldra, originally as a way to drive web traffic to the now defunct website CollegeVeteran.com.
"The UnReal Times" was an Indian satire, spoof, parody and humour portal featuring satirical articles on politics, entertainment, cricket, media, international affairs and society. Founded in 2011, the portal publishes fake news reports, comic strips, mock transcripts, fake Facebook and Twitter conversations among other formats, combining irreverent humour with biting satire in its commentary on current events. The Unreal Times has been referred to as The Onion of India, most notably by tech blog makeuseof.com. The Unreal Times shut down in November, 2016 for unknown reasons.
The Daily Currant was an American satirical news blog that focused on politics, technology, and entertainment. A number of its satirical stories have been mistaken for true news reports by the media.
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ClickHole is a satirical website that parodies clickbait websites such as BuzzFeed and Upworthy. It was launched on June 12, 2014, in conjunction with The Onion's decision to stop its print edition and shift its focus exclusively to the internet. According to ClickHole's senior editor, Jermaine Affonso, the website is "The Onion's response to click-bait content" and serves as "a parody of online media". Critics noted that, on a deeper level, ClickHole illustrates the shallow nature of social media content and media sites' desperation to share such content.
Paul Horner was an American writer, comedian and contributor to fake news websites. Horner has been described as a "hoax artist" by outlets such as The Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, PolitiFact and The Washington Post.
Waterford Whispers News (WWN) is an Irish satirical news website run by Colm Williamson and based in Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland. The site has been called Ireland's answer to U.S. satirical media company, The Onion, and has been the source of several satirical articles that gained international notability, including: North Korea Lands First Ever Man On The Sun, Confirms Central News Agency, and "Jesus Not Coming Back By The Looks Of It" Admits Vatican.
Le Gorafi is a news satire website. It was created in May 2012 during the French presidential campaign in the style of The Onion, a satirical newspaper of fake information. It has also been compared with Infos du Monde and L'Examineur.
Peñabots is the nickname for automated social media accounts allegedly used by the Mexican government of Enrique Peña Nieto and the PRI political party to keep unfavorable news from reaching the Mexican public. Peñabot accusations are related to the broader issue of fake news in the 21st century.
The Babylon Bee is a conservative Christian news satire website that publishes satirical articles on topics including religion, politics, current events, and public figures. It has been referred to as a Christian or conservative version of The Onion.
Fake news websites target United States audiences by using disinformation to create or inflame controversial topics such as the 2016 election. Most fake news websites target readers by impersonating or pretending to be real news organizations, which can lead to legitimate news organizations further spreading their message. Most notable in the media are the many websites that made completely false claims about political candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, as part of a larger campaign to gain viewers and ad revenue or spread disinformation. Additionally, satire websites have received criticism for not properly notifying readers that they are publishing false or satirical content, since many readers have been duped by seemingly legitimate articles.
NewsThump is a British news satire website that publishes spoof articles about current events. It is similar to other British news satire sites such as The Daily Mash.
The Fauxy is an Indian satirical website that publish satirical articles on current events, entertainment, sports and public figures. It has been referred to as India's answer to The Onion.