''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. ''The Daily Currant'' was a competitor to '' The Onion''. According to Quantcast, the site received over 1.5 million page views a month. By November 22, 2016, the site was no longer in operation.

Articles

Several ''Daily Currant'' articles were reported by established news organizations, sometimes as fact.

"Rick Santorum on Grindr"

On July 3, 2012, the website published a satirical article saying that Rick Santorum had been caught using the gay dating app Grindr by a journalist during an interview. In the article, Santorum admitted using the app but said that he was looking for the nearest coffee shop. Mashable later published an article, "Satirical Post About Santorum and Grindr Fools the Web".

"George Bush Accidentally Votes for Obama"

On November 6, 2012, the website published a satirical article saying that former president

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

had accidentally voted for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

because he could not figure out how to use the voting machine. The article was reported as fact by news outlets in Texas, went viral on the Internet and appeared on the website of ''

La Repubblica (; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...

'', Italy's largest national newspaper.

Todd Akin hoax

Another story to receive wide publicity (and belief) was "Todd Akin Claims Breastmilk Cures Homosexuality", about conservative US congressman Todd Akin. The article was widely shared on social media, and many people believed it was true.

"Paul Krugman Declares Personal Bankruptcy"

On March 6, 2013, the site published a satirical article which said that Nobel Prize–winning economist Paul Krugman had filed for bankruptcy. Breitbart thought the story was true, and later deleted its post without explanation.

"Message from God on Mars"

Viral e-mails and Facebook posts said in 2013 that NASA's ''Curiosity'' rover had found gigantic stone tablets in a cave near Aeolis Mons which were marked with the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (), or the Decalogue (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , ), are religious and ethical directives, structured as a covenant document, that, according to the Hebrew Bible, were given by YHWH to Moses. The text of the Ten ...

and the phrase "I Am Real". The hoax originated as a satirical ''Daily Currant'' article.

"Marijuana Overdoses Kill 37 in Colorado on First Day of Legalization"

A story concocted shortly after recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado said that 37 people had died of marijuana overdoses, with the death toll expected to reach as high as 300 by the following week. The article contained a number of references to fictional characters, including one to ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan for AMC (TV channel), AMC. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Breaking Bad), Walter White (Bryan Cran ...

s Jesse Pinkman. Its satirical nature was not recognized by some, including Swedish Minister for Justice Beatrice Ask and Annapolis Police Department chief Michael A. Pristoop.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Daily Currant, The American satirical websites Internet properties established in 2012 2012 establishments in the United States