Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by vforgione on Sunday July 08, 2018 @01:49PM
(#17485112)
I worked at The Onion a few years ago. The content teams there were some of the most dedicated and passionate professionals I’ve had the pleasure of working with in my career.
This is an upsetting story. Despite so much upheaval in print and publishing at large, and the unfortunate circumstance that reality has become as absurd as the headlines of The Onion a decade ago, everyone there comes in every day ready to give it all they’ve got. It honestly is a remarkable staff and sometimes I really miss it there.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by sarreph on Sunday July 08, 2018 @06:45PM
(#17486691)
> the unfortunate circumstance that reality has become as absurd as the headlines of The Onion a decade ago
So true... Google has a slew of articles pronouncing the death of conventional political satire. It's not just politics though, as the Onion's fate is showing now. It seems also there are a myriad other forms of media — YouTube being a prime example — of how 'surreal' content seems to be becoming these days. When we have YouTubers click-baiting and essentially (but almost unwittingly) parodying themselves to chase the views, it begs the question of what the next turning of the tide of media style will be.
Sorry to hear that The Onion sounds like an amazing place that's going to get shuttered :(
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by vforgione on Monday July 09, 2018 @11:48AM
(#17491114)
I was a developer there, not a writer, but this kind of mentality was so basic to the entire company. It reinforces a great deal of humility -- not just in your work but as a person.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by hackerpacker on Monday July 09, 2018 @07:33AM
(#17489457)
FWIW, I stopped reading the onion when it was bought by univision, for presumably political reasons. I mean even now the dedication and passion you describe sounds a bit like campaign headquarters to me, not a satire shop.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by waivek on Sunday July 08, 2018 @01:06PM
(#17484843)
Half a decade ago, The Onion reached the pinnacle of satire with their Onion News Network. What made it different was the presence of a really solid fourth wall. Not once is there a wink at the camera or any indication that the actors are "in on it".
All the satire I've seen in more recent years has had people talking in an exaggerated manner about absurd events. They don't talk like real people.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by 52-6F-62 on Sunday July 08, 2018 @04:45PM
(#17486105)
That's sad. Especially these days— seems like satire is as important as ever.
For fans of the Onion, there's a rising Canadian counterpart. They started off kind of slowly, but have started to come into their own— especially with Ontario's recent election. They sometimes cover American events as well.
> One former Univision executive joked to The Daily Beast that UCI seemingly does not differentiate between the Onion Inc. sites, and is “not even sure what Clickhole is.”
> When asked during an all-hands meeting with staffers from one site earlier this year what his favorite article was on an Onion Inc. site, Univision’s head of digital Sameer Deen would not answer.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by notacoward on Sunday July 08, 2018 @11:40AM
(#17484302)
It's been pretty obvious for a while that The Onion is struggling. I love a lot of their material, but lately a lot of their writing about others they see as threats to their ad-supported business model has been far less funny than mean spirited. Almost like an Onion headline.
"Humor site tries to save business by giving up on humor"
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by SiempreViernes on Sunday July 08, 2018 @12:49PM
(#17484733)
That's too bad, the onion is still very good with political satire, though it doesn't give you a good one daily unless Washington is particularly poor that week.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by everdev on Sunday July 08, 2018 @12:05PM
(#17484420)
For me comedy comes from good timing and the unexpected. I've tried to read the Onion but never found it funny because it's formula of satire is expected from the beginning. Sure, they have some witty observations and funny titles, but the articles read like an SNL skit that goes on too long.
The written word probably doesn't help too much either. Comedians frequently use pauses and pace to accentuate the humor and without it, in my mind reading the Onion sounds like poor comedic timing.
I think there was a reason political satire was traditionally effective in cartoon or stand up comedy format.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by pvg on Sunday July 08, 2018 @12:40PM
(#17484669)
Not liking the Onion is probably just a matter of personal taste rather than evidence of the limits of the written word as a method for conveying political satire.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by siberianbear on Sunday July 08, 2018 @02:44PM
(#17485379)
I first found about The Onion in 1991 when I was a summer intern at Intel in Folsom, California. A fellow intern from UW Madison told me about it. I subscribed to the paper version: this was before it was on the internet. It was $28 a year.
Two years later, they went to a color version and raised the price to about $45 a year, if I recall correctly. I said "screw it" and didn't renew my subscription.
It was more of an "underground" thing at the time. I enjoyed it again a few years later when it became an internet site.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by JansjoFromIkea on Sunday July 08, 2018 @04:54PM
(#17486144)
The AV Club has already had a few rounds of Univision driven cuts and overhauls that've impacted it pretty hugely in a bad way.
However, I believe the AV Club are about as independent of each other as Kotaku, Deadspin, etc at the moment, so these layoffs shouldn't directly impact them.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by philwelch on Sunday July 08, 2018 @02:09PM
(#17485197)
The Onion is long in the tooth, but Clickhole at times manages to pull off the perfect surrealist humor. Although at a glance, even they seem to have declined a bit.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by snackbugs on Sunday July 08, 2018 @12:11PM
(#17484462)
We're living in a period where real events are as absurd and as brain-breakingly bizarre as satire. It makes satire less of a release of tension and more of a depressing reminder.
Satire doesn't make you laugh when you can barely write an Onion headline that isn't only slightly expanded from reality.
Re:No Joke: The Onion Faces Layoffs by Univision, Says Report
by batbomb on Sunday July 08, 2018 @03:33PM
(#17485682)
I really love the Onion, but I think I have laughed much more at The Hard Times these past two years. I’m not sure what that means, but I hope some of the Onion guys maybe make it over there.
This is an upsetting story. Despite so much upheaval in print and publishing at large, and the unfortunate circumstance that reality has become as absurd as the headlines of The Onion a decade ago, everyone there comes in every day ready to give it all they’ve got. It honestly is a remarkable staff and sometimes I really miss it there.
So true... Google has a slew of articles pronouncing the death of conventional political satire. It's not just politics though, as the Onion's fate is showing now. It seems also there are a myriad other forms of media — YouTube being a prime example — of how 'surreal' content seems to be becoming these days. When we have YouTubers click-baiting and essentially (but almost unwittingly) parodying themselves to chase the views, it begs the question of what the next turning of the tide of media style will be.
Sorry to hear that The Onion sounds like an amazing place that's going to get shuttered :(
It sounds like an amazing place to work!
All the satire I've seen in more recent years has had people talking in an exaggerated manner about absurd events. They don't talk like real people.
My Favorite ONN videos
https://youtu.be/D04wb7P_v-4
https://youtu.be/XUT8ec24anM
https://youtu.be/kOHABYhZ7a8
https://youtu.be/84phU8of02U
https://youtu.be/EDWo6m5hbG4
"Stouffers To Include Suicide Prevention Tips On Single Serve Microwavable Meals" https://www.theonion.com/stouffers-to-include-suicide-preven...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdFz5GBHl6M
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpzVc7s-_e8
"HP offers 'that cloud thing everyone is talking about'" https://youtu.be/9ntPxdWAWq8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee8n-xvYETg
No one is born a skull fucker.
"World of World of Warcraft" https://youtu.be/Rw8gE3lnpLQ
Experts Agree Giant, Bioengineered Crabs Pose No Threat
Another lesser known news satirist use to do a kid-friendly news show out of Cincinnati:
https://www.youtube.com/user/UncleJayExplains/videos
Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA
Anonymous Hero Donates Hospital 200 Human Kidneys - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_5nLxZVoPo
For fans of the Onion, there's a rising Canadian counterpart. They started off kind of slowly, but have started to come into their own— especially with Ontario's recent election. They sometimes cover American events as well.
https://www.thebeaverton.com
ex:
https://www.thebeaverton.com/2018/07/ford-vows-to-treat-asyl...
https://www.thebeaverton.com/2018/06/andrea-horwath-looking-...
https://www.burrardstreetjournal.com/
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/
If nothing else, for its closing anecdote:
> One former Univision executive joked to The Daily Beast that UCI seemingly does not differentiate between the Onion Inc. sites, and is “not even sure what Clickhole is.”
> When asked during an all-hands meeting with staffers from one site earlier this year what his favorite article was on an Onion Inc. site, Univision’s head of digital Sameer Deen would not answer.
"Humor site tries to save business by giving up on humor"
A recent good one: https://local.theonion.com/man-offended-by-rude-female-cowor...
The written word probably doesn't help too much either. Comedians frequently use pauses and pace to accentuate the humor and without it, in my mind reading the Onion sounds like poor comedic timing.
I think there was a reason political satire was traditionally effective in cartoon or stand up comedy format.
Two years later, they went to a color version and raised the price to about $45 a year, if I recall correctly. I said "screw it" and didn't renew my subscription.
It was more of an "underground" thing at the time. I enjoyed it again a few years later when it became an internet site.
I really love AV Club's content, hope it doesn't go away.
Of course, I also love The Onion, it's an institution.
However, I believe the AV Club are about as independent of each other as Kotaku, Deadspin, etc at the moment, so these layoffs shouldn't directly impact them.
Satire doesn't make you laugh when you can barely write an Onion headline that isn't only slightly expanded from reality.