The team at The Onion is known for using satire to get their message across and today they had a rare hiccup in their humor when they tweeted a bunch of messages about the capitol being under attack.

In their Tweets the agency said:

“Congresss takes group of Schoolchildren Hostage”

Followed by:

“BREAKING: Capital Building being evacuated. 12 Children held hostage by group of armed congressmen

The group then continued their tweets about doing schoolchildren harm by tweeting:

“BREAKING: Witnesses reporting screams and gunfire heard inside Capitol building

After a series of other tweets reactions on the internet were mostly negative including one message that read “I mean, I know you guys do satire, but I really don’t get this one…”

In their own statement the New York office for The Onion stood their ground, releasing a statement in which they said “This is satire, That’s how it works.”

The United States Capitol Police also released a statement:

From: Schneider, Kimberly A.
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 11:01 AM
Subject: USCP Notice: False Reporting via Twitter

It has come to our attention that recents twitter feeds are reporting false information concerning current conditions at the U.S. Capitol.  Conditions at the U.S. Capitol are currently normal. There is no credibility to these stories or the twitter feeds. The U.S. Capitol Police are currently investigating the reporting.

Investigating the reporting? Another wonderful use of taxpayer dollars at work.

Do you think The Onion went to far by including schoolchildren being held hostage as part of their satire?

Fake Onion Tweets Send Scare Through Washington is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yesterday, in video on YouTube, the “Big” star gave his official endorsement that satirical newspaper, The Onion, should take home the Pulitzer Prize, the Crème de la Crème of Journalism Awards.

In his video, a “serious-looking” Hanks expressed his “malice” towards the “mysterious cabal of power brokers and so-called taste makers who gather annually in what must be some all-night drunken bacchanalia slash pinata-party the result is which is the awarding of the prized Pulitzer.”

Mr. Hanks went on to say that if the greatest [fake] news source didn’t receive this year’s prize he would personally search down each and every member responsible for the “injustice.”

Tom Hanks‘ endorsement was just one of many, as numerous other notable individuals have also spoken on behalf of Americans for Fairness in Awarding Journalism Prizes, an organization that has apparently made it its mission to get “The Onion” a Pulitzer.

Watch Tom’s full Onion endorsement video below:

Tom Hanks “Angry” over ‘The Onion’ Pulitzer Snub is a post from: The Inquisitr

The team from The Onion is making its cable TV debut with a new show: ONN’s FactZone. As with all offerings from the Onion, there’s a little something for everyone.

The Onion’s FactZone TV Promo is a post from: The Inquisitr

There is no harder thing than to have Glenn Beck outlive your child…

Victim In Fatal Car Accident Tragically Not Glenn Beck

Onion: Car crash victim tragically not Glenn Beck is a post from: The Inquisitr

The team at The Onion has scored a home run with their latest report on a new computer game that solely consists of shooting people in the face at point blank range.

The graphics may offend some people, but wait for the hook towards the end.

Classic: New video game that consists of shooting people in the face is a post from: The Inquisitr

From a writer for America’s Finest news source comes America’s finest auction: one genuine joke:

My name is John Harris, and I am a staff writer at The Onion, America’s Finest News Source. I am selling a joke that I can’t find a contextual home for. To be fair, it’s less of a joke and more of a dated, Capote-esque cocktail party bon mot, but decidedly more feeble. The best one can reasonably expect from this item is a self-satisfied chuckle, such as can be observed issuing from someone wearing a turtleneck while reading the Harper’s Index. If that didn’t make you barf, please continue reading.

The item in question will be clearly hand-printed on a 3×5 index card and mailed to the winning bidder upon receipt of payment. It has never been used, and the buyer assumes all responsibility for any consequences that might stem from sharing this joke, including the dissolution of friendships and romantic relationships due to loss of respect. The bidding will start at $0.57 so I can at least recoup the cost of the stamp and the eBay listing charge.

Please keep in mind that, due to the nature of this item as well that whole aphorism about accounting for taste, this is very much a caveat emptor-type transaction. In other words, no refunds.

Bidding at the time of writing has passed the $100 mark. You can follow the auction here.

(via Donklephant)

Onion Writer places joke up for Auction on eBay. No, Seriously is a post from: The Inquisitr

Conservative bloggers are calling for a boycott of satirical newspaper The Onion over a video that makes fun of disabled veterans.

The video titled “How Can We Make The Iraq War More Handicap Accessible?” offers a mock panel discussion centered around “moves by the Pentagon” to return any soldier with non-fatal wounds to the front line, and talks about handicapped enabled armored vehicles and facts such as you don’t need legs to fly a plane.

Right wing and milbloggers are calling for a boycott of The Onion and its sponsors over the slight, which they see as a step too far and insensitive towards disabled military veterans.

Here’s the video in question. I’m neither, nor do I know any disabled military veterans so I’m not in the best position to judge, although as is not unusual for Onion videos, its not in the best taste. What do you think?

Try Billandbobs Adventure and Hooahwife for a taste of why they’re upset.

Conservative sites call for Onion boycott over offensive veteran video is a post from: The Inquisitr

I’ve been watching some of The Onion News Network’s stuff for a while now, and let me tell you — it’s hilarious. If you’re a fan of The Onion, or a fan of any other fake news type of show (“The Daily Show,” anyone?), you’ll almost definitely get a kick out of it. Some recent clips include a report entitled “John McCain Accidentally Left on Campain Bus Overnight,” another called “First Openly Gay Racehorse to Compete,” and — one of the more entertaining ones — a morning news show interview, “12-Year-Old Boy Scouts Volunteer to Give Women Breast Exams.”

The Onion has been creating the video content since last March. I personally hadn’t paid attention to it until I connected my TiVo to my WiFi network recently and started getting the content there, but now I’m totally hooked. The stories aren’t all winners, of course — some are funnier than others, as would be expected — but next time you’re bored at work, it’s well-worth a browse through the clips. Just be sure to keep your speaker volume low.

Onion News Network Goes International is a post from: The Inquisitr