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blogslug

(38,018 posts)
Thu Apr 25, 2024, 09:03 PM Apr 25

MSNBC's Ben Collins just bought The Onion

I swear this is real.

https://bsky.app/profile/bencollins.bsky.social/post/3kqyj7u2zqh27

Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social

NEWS: My friends and I now own and run The Onion. I’ll be the CEO.

We’re keeping the entire staff, bringing back The Onion News Network, and will share the wealth with staff. Basically, we’re going to let them do whatever they want.

Get excited.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/business/media/the-onion-sold.html

Apr 25, 2024 at 6:03 PM


archive link to this NYT story: https://archive.ph/mT4xX

...The real-life Global Tetrahedron is owned by Jeff Lawson, a co-founder and former chief executive of the technology communications company Twilio. The chief executive is Ben Collins, who was a senior reporter at NBC News until recently.

In an interview, Mr. Lawson said that he had long wanted to buy The Onion and had pursued the project at various points in time before linking up with Mr. Collins, who started pondering the idea early this year.

“The world needs laughter; it needs satirical criticism more than ever,” Mr. Lawson said. “And that’s why we think this is the right time and the right way to help The Onion continue to grow, continue to flourish, and frankly I’m concerned if we hadn’t done this, I don’t know what would have happened.”

Mr. Collins said audiences had a longstanding connection to The Onion and noted that many of the website’s writers and editors had been there for years...




17 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
MSNBC's Ben Collins just bought The Onion (Original Post) blogslug Apr 25 OP
Good for Ben! senseandsensibility Apr 25 #1
I think I heard someone from the Onion in the Supreme Court today rzemanfl Apr 25 #2
You, too, huh? ShazzieB Apr 25 #8
He's not on staff yet. Mopar151 Apr 26 #14
Ben Collins is terrific NJCher Apr 25 #3
I have run out of onions..... DemocraticPatriot Apr 25 #4
Also I love 'peanut butter and onion' sandwiches--- thanks, Ernest H.! DemocraticPatriot Apr 25 #5
Good for Collins. I guess that explains why he's been missing on MSNBC. tulipsandroses Apr 25 #6
I hope Ben Collins has the juice to keep it going and improve the work conditions DemInBuckhead Apr 25 #7
They ruined Jezebel too. betsuni Apr 25 #9
Welcome to DU, DemInBuckhead! calimary Apr 25 #10
The Onion News Network! betsuni Apr 25 #11
Cool. nt AKwannabe Apr 25 #12
Oh feck ya! arthritisR_US Apr 26 #13
This is good news LetMyPeopleVote Apr 26 #15
The Onion News Network bits were great, but I read they lost money on them Bucky Apr 26 #16
Collins said on twitter they won't be having all the pop ups and adds. mucifer Apr 26 #17

DemocraticPatriot

(4,428 posts)
4. I have run out of onions.....
Thu Apr 25, 2024, 10:31 PM
Apr 25

except for what I can find on the internet,
but digital onions do nothing for my spaghetti or chicken gumbo.....


God bless the digital ONion.....

DemocraticPatriot

(4,428 posts)
5. Also I love 'peanut butter and onion' sandwiches--- thanks, Ernest H.!
Thu Apr 25, 2024, 10:39 PM
Apr 25

Never heard of it before I read about them in Hemingway novels--
'Islands in the Stream' to be precise, the one that was published long after his death....

so I decided to try it....

and I love it!

The onions moisten the peanut butter,
and the peanut butter mellows the onions!

IT WORKS!!!

and tastes fine too, all together!
(I make them on whole wheat bread, usually toasted)

Obviously that was 'a thing' about 70 years ago, since he bothered to mention it in his last novel...
but I had to read it before I ever heard of it


tulipsandroses

(5,127 posts)
6. Good for Collins. I guess that explains why he's been missing on MSNBC.
Thu Apr 25, 2024, 11:10 PM
Apr 25

He has done so much work in the far right wing space. His voice in that area, will be missed on MSNBC.

DemInBuckhead

(111 posts)
7. I hope Ben Collins has the juice to keep it going and improve the work conditions
Thu Apr 25, 2024, 11:13 PM
Apr 25

It's potentially really good news that the Onion is out from under G/O Media. Four or five years ago, the writers for Deadspin (also under G/O) quit en masse because of how horrible G/O had made that site.

I wish the Onion folks well; I would pick up their printed newspapers in Champaign, and was happy to see that they went online after I left the Midwest where you could pick up a physical copy.

calimary

(81,514 posts)
10. Welcome to DU, DemInBuckhead!
Thu Apr 25, 2024, 11:55 PM
Apr 25

I hope The Onion carries on for many years. We don't just love it, we need it!

Bucky

(54,084 posts)
16. The Onion News Network bits were great, but I read they lost money on them
Fri Apr 26, 2024, 02:09 AM
Apr 26

Eventually their website became obnoxiously cluttered with ads and pop ups. That's just too much effort to get the little inside jokes they do.

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