List of satirical fake news websites
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List
Even though many satirical sources are labeled as such with disclaimers, there is a long history of satirical content being falsely perceived as true.[1] According to Snopes, this misunderstanding can be due to a variety of reasons:
- A lack of understanding of literary techniques typically used for satire, such as sarcasm, irony and exaggeration
- Satirical content being shown out of context in e-mails, memes and social media posts
- Satirical content not being seen in full
- Different satirical techniques appealing to different audiences
- Different readers having different frames of reference
- Some readers not expecting to see satirical content.[2]
The following table lists websites considered by fact-checkers to be satire:
| Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8Shit | 8shit.net | [3][4][5] | ||
| Abril Uno | abriluno.com | Responsible for the Marlboro M hoax. | [6][7] | |
| actualidadpanamericana.com | actualidadpanamericana.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. | [8] | |
| Associated Media Coverage | AssociatedMediaCoverage.com | Spread hoaxes since February 2016, including the false claim of a late-night motorcycle curfew. | [9][10][8] | |
| Baltimore Gazette | baltimoregazette.com | Unrelated to Baltimore Gazette, a 19th-century newspaper. Possibly part of same network as Associated Media Coverage, another fake news site. | [9][11] | |
| Blog.VeteranTV.net | Blog.VeteranTV.net | Per PolitiFact. | [8] | |
| Boston Leader | bostonleader.com | Possibly part of same network as Associated Media Coverage, another fake news site.
Part of the same network as Batty Post. |
[8][9][12][13] | |
| The Boston Tribune | thebostontribune.com | Starting in February 2016, this website spread outright hoaxes. Possibly part of same network as Associated Media Coverage, another fake news site. | [8][9] | |
| Business Standard News | bizstandardnews.com | Defunct | Its stories have been mistaken as real-news then shared and cited as real-news. A disclaimer says the stories "could be true" because "reality is so strange nowadays". But the disclaimer also says it is "a satirical site designed to parody the 24-hour news cycle."[14]
Its name is similar to the unrelated Indian English-language daily newspaper called Business Standard. |
[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] |
| Call the Cops | callthecops.net | [22] | ||
| DailySnark.com | DailySnark.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. | [8] | |
| Duffelblog.com | Duffelblog.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. | [8] | |
| El Mundo Today | elmundotoday.com | [5] | ||
| Empire News | empirenews.net | Many of this website's fake news hoaxes were widely shared on social media, with stories based on social or political controversies, or were simply appalling to readers. The site says that its content is for "entertainment purposes only."[23] | [8][24][9][25] | |
| Florida Sun Post | floridasunpost.com | Possibly part of same network as Boston Leader.
Part of the same network as Batty Post. |
[12][8][13] | |
| FreeWoodPost.com | FreeWoodPost.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. | [8][25] | |
| HalfwayPost.com | HalfwayPost.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. | [8] | |
| Hay Noticia | haynoticia.es | [26] | ||
| heaviermetal.net | heaviermetal.net | Satire about heavy metal music. | [27][28] | |
| NationalReport.net | NationalReport.net | Founder Jestin Coler told Columbia Journalism Review: "When it comes to the fake stuff, you really want it to be red meat. [...] It doesn't have to be offensive. It doesn't have to be outrageous. It doesn't have to be anything other than just giving them what they already wanted to hear." In 2013, the nonpartisan FactCheck.org deemed NationalReport.net a satirical site. The site's disclaimer states "All news articles contained within National Report are fiction, and presumably fake news. Any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental."[29] | [24][30][9][31][8] | |
| Nevada County Scooper (NC Scooper) | ncscooper.com | Satire site, per Snopes. False claims that the US federal government planned to confiscate weapons had spread on social media. | [9] | |
| News Feed Observer | NewsFeedObserver.com | Parody/satire, per FactCheck.org. | [32] | |
| The Lapine | thelapine.ca | [33] | ||
| The Onion | theonion.com | Active | American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. Its articles cover real and fictional current events, parodying the tone and format of traditional news organizations with stories, editorials, and street interviews using a traditional news website layout. | [34][35] |
| The People's Cube | ThePeoplesCube.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. | [8] | |
| The Postillon | the-postillon.com | Parody/satire, per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. | [32][8] | |
| Real News Right Now | Realnewsrightnow.com | Parody/satire site, per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. | [36][8] | |
| TheRealShtick.com | TheRealShtick.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. | [8] | |
| There Is News | thereisnews.com | [4][37] | ||
| Satira Tribune | satiratribune.com | Satire site, per Snopes. False claims that Jimmy Carter had cured his cancer via medical marijuana had spread on social media. | [9][38] | |
| Seattle Tribune | theseattletribune.com | Possibly part of same network as Associated Media Coverage, another fake news site. | [9][8] | |
| Southend News Network | southendnewsnetwork.net | Local satire site for Southend, England. Some hoaxes have been mistaken by some local residents as true. Recognized by the Southend-on-Sea City Council as an "official media outlet" despite its satire to further community engagement. | [39][40] | |
| The Spoof | thespoof.com | [41] | ||
| Straight Stoned | straightstoned.com | Hosted on the same webserver as Action News 3. | [27][42][43] | |
| U OK Hun | uokhun.uk | Has the same AdSense ID as Southend News Network. | [4][39][44] | |
| The Valley Report | thevalleyreport.com | Created by a comedian to publish satire and hoaxes. | [45] | |
| World News Daily Report | worldnewsdailyreport.com | Run by Janick Murray-Hall. Its disclaimer states, "World News Daily Report assumes all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content. All characters appearing in the articles in this website—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional and any resemblance between them and any person, living, dead or undead, is purely a miracle."[46] | [47][8] |
The Last Line of Defense
| Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| America's Last Line of Defense | Americaslastlineofdefense.org | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [36][48][49][50] | |
| As American as Apple Pie | AsAmericanAsApplePie.org | Falsely claimed that Alec Baldwin was arrested for threatening President Trump. Parody/satire site, per FactCheck.org, PolitiFact and Snopes.
Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. |
[9][8][32][51] | |
| BeBest.website | bebest.website | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [4][52] | |
| BustATroll | bustatroll.org | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [53][54][50] | |
| Conservative Tears | conservativetears.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [55][50] | |
| coolinfo24.com | coolinfo24.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [56] | |
| Daily World Update | dailyworldupdate.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [4][57] | |
| Daily World Update | dailyworldupdate.us | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [58][50] | |
| Dildo the Donald | dildothedonald.us | Defunct | [59][50] | |
| The Dunning-Kruger Times | dunning-kruger-times.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [60][50] | |
| Freedom Crossroads | Freedomcrossroads.us | Parody/satire, per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.
Part of the same network as The Last Line of Defense. |
[32][8][61] | |
| Freedum Junkshun | FreedumJunkshun.com | Part of the same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [9][8] | |
| ladiesofliberty.net | ladiesofliberty.net | Part of the same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [62] | |
| The Last Line of Defense | thelastlineofdefense.org | This website has a history of publishing fake news articles, especially of the political genre. Notable hoaxes include Donald Trump revoking the press credentials of six major news outlets, Michelle Obama getting ditched by the Secret Service, and Hillary Clinton describing Beyoncé's music using racial slurs. Although the website claims to be written by "a group of educated, God-fearing Christian conservative patriots who are tired of Obama's tyrannical reign and ready to see a strong Republican take the White House," its articles are in fact all written by one person, Christopher Blair, who has written under multiple pen names. As of 2019, Blair's site is now branded as "Daily World Update: satire for flat-Earthers, Trumpsters and Y'all-Qaeda." | [48][63][64][65][8] | |
| The Last Line of Defense (thelastlineofdefense.online) | thelastlineofdefense.online | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [36] | |
| No Fake News Online | nofakenews.online | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [66] | |
| nofakenewsonline.us | nofakenewsonline.us | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [36][50] | |
| notmypot.us | notmypot.us | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [4][67] | |
| Nunadisbereel.com | Nunadisbereel.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact.
Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. |
[8][68] | |
| ObamaWatcher | obamawatcher.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [69][54] | |
| Our Land of the Free | Ourlandofthefree.com | Parody/satire, per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact.
Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. |
[32][8][51] | |
| potatriotpost.com | potatriotpost.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [58] | |
| PotatriotsUnite.com | PotatriotsUnite.com | [50] | ||
| Re-state.us | Re-state.us | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense.
Spoof of DeadState. |
[70] | |
| Reagan Was Right | reaganwasright.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [27] | |
| Sdopes | sdopes.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense.
Spoof of Snopes. |
[70] | |
| TatersGonnaTate | tatersgonnatate.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [71][54] | |
| Tater Report | taterreport.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [72] | |
| TrumpBetrayed.us | trumpbetrayed.us | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [36] | |
| trumpscrewed.us | trumpscrewed.us | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [73] | |
| wearethellod.com | wearethellod.com | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [56][50] | |
| Worstpot.us | worstpot.us | Part of same network as The Last Line of Defense. | [36][50] |
Newslo
| Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newslo | newslo.com | Parody/satire, per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. | [32][8] | |
| Politicalo.com | Politicalo.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. Part of Newslo network. | [8] | |
| Politicass.com | Politicass.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. | [8][74] | |
| Politicono.com | Politicono.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. Part of Newslo network. | [8] | |
| Politicops | politicops.com | Parody/satire, per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. Part of Newslo network. | [32][8] | |
| Politicot | politicot.com | Parody/satire, per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. Part of Newslo network. | [32][8] | |
| Religionlo.com | Religionlo.com | Parody/satire site, per PolitiFact. Part of Newslo network. | [8] | |
| The Rightists | Therightists.com | Parody/satire, per FactCheck.org and PolitiFact. Part of Newslo network. | [32][8][75] |
Deceptive satire
Some websites self-labeled as satire have been accused by journalists from news outlets such as Politico and The New Republic of duplicity by means of clickbait headlines, humorless appeals to partisans, hidden disclaimers, and oversaturation of ads.[76][77][78]
| Name | Domain | Status | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big America News | bigamericannews.com | [78][79][80] | ||
| cartelpress.com | cartelpress.com | Has the same owner as Huzlers. | [27][81] | |
| Christwire | christwire.org | [25][82] | ||
| Civic Tribune | CivicTribune.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact | [8][83] | |
| CreamBMP | creambmp.com | [25] | ||
| The Daily Currant | dailycurrant.com | [76][77][25] | ||
| dailyfinesser.com | dailyfinesser.com | Has the same owner as Huzlers. | [27][81] | |
| daily-inquirer.com | daily-inquirer.com | Part of the same network as The South East Journal. | [84] | |
| the-daily-star.com | the-daily-star.com | Part of the same network as The South East Journal. | [84] | |
| the-dailystar.com | the-dailystar.com | Part of the same network as The South East Journal. | [84] | |
| Demyx | demyx.com | [76] | ||
| The Dorset Eye | dorseteye.com | Claimed itself as satire after a false claim it published about Boris Johnson went viral. | [85] | |
| Empire Sports | empiresports.co | Includes a disclaimer describing itself as a "satirical and entertainment website".[86] Not to be confused with the legitimate (but long-defunct) Empire Sports Network. | [76] | |
| Global Associated News | globalassociatednews.com | Described itself as enabling users to produce fake stories using its "fake celebrity news engine". Also known as Media Fetcher. | [76][87] | |
| Huzlers | huzlers.com | Fake news from this website often involves restaurants and leading brands to disgust readers with its gross-out stories. One story by the site falsely reported that Dong Nguyen, the creator of Flappy Bird, killed himself. Another story made up an incident where a person working at a McDonald's restaurant put his mixtapes in Happy Meals. The site describes itself as "the most infamous fauxtire & satire entertainment website in the world."[88] | [9][76][89][90] | |
| The Lightly Braised Turnip | lightlybraisedturnip.com | [76] | ||
| Media Fetcher | MediaFetcher.com | Parent website for Global Associated News. | [87] | |
| Mediamass | mediamass.net | [76] | ||
| The Miami Gazette | TheMiamiGazette.com | Impostor site, per PolitiFact.
Webpage includes a hidden disclaimer that claims itself as satire. |
[8][91][92][93] | |
| Modern Woman Digest | modernwomandigest.com | Shares a writer with Civic Tribune and National Report. | [83] | |
| NewsBuzzDaily | newsbuzzdaily.com | Defunct | This fake news website mostly consists of celebrity gossip and death hoaxes, but a few of its other stories were disseminated on social media. When the site was up it said that it was "a combination of real shocking news and satire news" and that articles were for "entertainment and satirical purposes" only.[9] | [9][25] |
| News Hound | news-hound.org | [76] | ||
| The News Nerd | thenewsnerd.com | Defunct | A defunct website which used to have a disclaimer on every page.[94] | [76] |
| The No Chill | thenochill.com | Contains a disclaimer at the bottom of the page. As of 2017, part of Revcontent, an ad network commonly used by fake news websites. | [27][95][96][97][98][99][100] | |
| Not Allowed To | NotAllowedTo.com | Per PolitiFact.
Copied story from World News Daily Report. Has hidden disclaimer. |
[8][101][102][103] | |
| Real Raw News | realrawnews.com | A WordPress site hosting conspiratorial content, often about public figures being tried and executed for supposed crimes.
According to PolitiFact, "The website's "About Us" page features a disclaimer saying it contains "humor, parody and satire," but the author has repeatedly defended his stories as truth." |
[104][105][106] | |
| satirenewsdaily.com | satirenewsdaily.com | Part of the same network as The South East Journal. | [84] | |
| ScrapeTV | scrapetv.com | Per BuzzFeed News. | [27][107][108] | |
| south-eastjournal.com | south-eastjournal.com | Part of the same network as The South East Journal. | [84] | |
| The South East Journal | the-southeast-journal.com | [84] | ||
| The Stately Harold | thestatelyharold.com | Webpage includes a hidden disclaimer that claims itself as satire. | [9] | |
| Stuppid | Stuppid.com | [9][109] | ||
| Underground News Report | UndergroundNewsReport.com | According to PolitiFact, "the site purposely writes outlandish stories to trick readers". Launched on February 21, 2017, the website gained more than 1 million page views in its first two weeks; after two weeks, admitted that all posts are false; in less than a month the site was sued by Whoopi Goldberg.
Added a disclaimer at the bottom of the page. Was approved for running ads on Content.ad network. Spread its articles to Pro-Trump groups on Facebook. |
[110][111][112][113][114][115] | |
| Viral Cords | Viralcords.com | Per FactCheck.org.
Does not contain a disclaimer, and its owner information is hidden. |
[36][116] | |
| That Viral Feed | ThatViralFeed.net | Per PolitiFact.
Posted a joke story that was only fully apparent when reading it to the end. Republished a story from Empire Herald. Published a false story with an out-of-context image. |
[8][117][118][119] | |
| weeklyinquirer.com | weeklyinquirer.com | Part of the same network as The South East Journal. | [84] | |
| WIT Science | witscience.org | [27][83] |