# I can no longer tell the difference between an article from "The Onion" or one from the "NY Times". **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 24, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715 "2011-06-24T15:14:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/1 "2011-06-24T15:14:56Z")
[http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/justin-bieber-event-leads-to-chaos-uncertainty-and-possible-mussing-of-hair/](http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/justin-bieber-event-leads-to-chaos-uncertainty-and-possible-mussing-of-hair/) ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/2 "2011-06-24T15:16:14Z")
Can a mod shorten the thread title - maybe make it NY Times? ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/3 "2011-06-24T15:17:53Z")
Done. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/4 "2011-06-24T15:25:01Z")
That’s probably due to the way that The Onion has gained in credibility while the NYT seems to be going in the other direction. This latest brouhaha over Oprah and OJ caused somebody to say they would believe the story if it were reported on CNN or NPR. I came this close to saying “or The Onion.” The one solid piece of info you always have with The Onion is that you know it’s bullshit that ought to be The Truth! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/5 "2011-06-24T18:17:59Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Done. Dude, they made you a mod? I guess they’re giving the title away now. Just kidding. Congrats! ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/6 "2011-06-24T18:33:31Z")
Apparently even little kindergarteners are threatened by this guy. My son wrote, “jusin beebr sux” in his school diary. I asked him why, and he said, “He’s just kinda creepy.” ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/7 "2011-06-25T03:42:23Z")
This is actually a post from the New York Times ArtsBeat _blog_, not something that appeared in print. Not that it makes a huge difference if you only read the NYT online, but if this piece seems like it’s not the sort of thing the Gray Lady would normally run then it’s because it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/8 "2011-06-25T04:34:49Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > This is actually a post from the New York Times ArtsBeat _blog_, not something that appeared in print. Not that it makes a huge difference if you only read the NYT online, but if this piece seems like it’s not the sort of thing the Gray Lady would normally run then it’s because it’s not. If it were printed, it could have merited inclusion on the front page: > [@](#): > > [TMZ.com](http://TMZ.com) reported that the man who approached Mr. Bieber was a plainclothes officer whom Mr. Bieber’s guards mistook for “a crazy fan.” This quote would have been in the lead paragraph. Notice that in the blog post the source is buried at the end of the post. While obviously meant to be a lighthearted blog post about Justin Bieber, _the larger story_ is the issue of lack of coordination between the NYPD and celebrity bodyguards. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/9 "2011-06-25T05:08:40Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > The one solid piece of info you always have with The Onion is that you know it’s bullshit that ought to be The Truth! But sometimes the humor of the Onion is the rhetoric in and of itself. This article from the NY Times blog is so obviously NOT an Onion piece because it’s so manifestly self-conscious, with cute little phrases such as, “the O.M.G.-scale we just completely invented,” etc. It just isn’t amusing, when you have to try so hard to tell us that you’re being amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2011, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-can-no-longer-tell-the-difference-between-an-article-from-the-onion-or-one-from-the-ny-times/586715/10 "2011-06-25T07:29:22Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > … _the larger story_ is the issue of lack of coordination between the NYPD and celebrity bodyguards. Not at all. The whole point of the exercise was to ruffle the little dipshit’s feathers. It worked perfectly.