This is a splash of cold water if you're familiar with who Ben Collins is.

This will not not be a return to The Onion you fondly remember. Most likely it will be a continuation in the same direction it's been going.

OK, I’ll bite: why?

I don’t know who Ben Collins is and at a first read of his bio I’m not really sure who would. My first instinct is that this is one of those terminally online things, like how I kept reading references to “Taylor Lorenz” as if she were the devil incarnate and when I finally looked into it she was just another pretty boring journalist.

Since you asked, a genuine answer. I suspect it's because Ben Collins is a veteran of the left-wing "disinformation" beat, most recently for MSNBC until he lost that gig -- so the admittedly cryptic parent comment is positing that as a seasoned culture warrior, Collins will likely apply The Onion as a tool in the culture war.

The Onion's comedic point-of-view used to be less predictable, but as the culture war as progressed, so too has The Onion's voice, and it's a more reliable voice for the left these days. If you rue that trend, for whatever reason, Collins provides little reason to imagine things will change.

Apparently he's the disinformation reporter who fell for the Gaza hospital bombing hoax last year. I hope NBC can find someone equally amusing to take his place.

I'm not familiar enough with either him or culture war dynamics to know what you mean by this.

On the other hand he does have experience in the field.

I was genuinely excited to see him be the new boss. He's incredibly smart and incisive and really understands internet culture.

Ben Collins, the guy who got suspended from MSNBC for criticizing Elon Musk too hard? Upset Nate Silver because he criticized him too hard? Upset Matt Taibbi for making fun of him for doing PR work for a billionaire? I think he’s perfect for the job honestly.

If _MSNBC_ thinks he’s too overtly partisan and not up to journalistic standards, I’d say Collins fails to clear the absolute lowest bar in news media ethics.

Boy do I have to warn you about The Onion’s content then.

Also if you think being partisan is the lowest bar instead of “report the truth” or “be accurate and fair” then that tells me enough already about your values.