The old adage is true: Don’t believe everything you read, especially when it’s reported by The Onion.
Rep. John Fleming (R-LA), a pro-life supporter, has been caught in the act of sharing a clearly satirical article about an $8 billion “Abortionplex” being opened by Planned Parenthood with his 28,000-plus Facebook fans.
Literally Unbelievable, an excellent Tumblr blog that’s dedicated to finding naive Facebook shares of Onion articles, unearthed Fleming’s Facebook post. While it appears to have been deleted, Fleming’s offending post has been screen-grabbed for posterity:
As you might expect, Fleming’s flub has led to him becoming the butt of jokes on Twitter.
“Does he also cite Mad Magazine?” questioned OccupyElders. Another tweeter, R_A_Freeman, had a slightly more serious view: “We’re the ones that elect them.”
“I guess #TheOnion just gained some credibility,” wrote nomilkpls. “#Republican Congressman uses it as a source for facts.”
Meanwhile, Hudson Hongo, the man behind Literally Unbelievable, claims this is “Quite possibly my best post, ever.”
It’s not the first time a Facebook community member has shared a particular Onion article while believing it to be legitimate. The satirical news outlet caused serious controversy after perhaps taking a joke a hostage situation a bit too far.
However, Fleming clearly should have known better here.
If journalists have to check their facts, the people who decide how to run a country should too. Maybe, next time, Fleming should check the Real or Onion iPhone app before sharing anything on Facebook.
Photo by gageskidmore