Iran News Site Duped by ‘Onion’: Reports Rural White Americans Prefer Ahmadinejad to Obama

ahmedinijad onion spoof obama Fars

The Onion: Iran’s Finest News Source?

Iranian news agency Fars latched onto an Onion story citing a “Gallup poll” showing an “overwhelming majority of rural white Americans … would rather vote for Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than U.S. president Barack Obama.”

Apparently unfamiliar with the concept of “too good to be true,” Fars’ editors seized on the spoof and relayed it to their audience [link removed], citing the Gallup poll but failing to hat-tip The Onion.

fars onion ahmadinejad obama gallup poll

Fars even picked up this absurd quote:

“I like him better,” said West Virginia resident Dale Swiderski, who, along with 77 percent of rural Caucasian voters, confirmed he would much rather go to a baseball game or have a drink with Ahmadinejad than spend time with Obama. “He takes national defense seriously, and he’d never let some gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama does.”

Note the omitted portion of the absurdist passage — here’s how it appeared on The Onion (emphasis ours):

“I like him better,” said West Virginia resident Dale Swiderski, who, along with 77 percent of rural Caucasian voters, confirmed he would much rather go to a baseball game or have a beer with Ahmadinejad, a man who has repeatedly denied the Holocaust and has had numerous political prisoners executed, than spend time with Obama. “He takes national defense seriously, and he’d never let some gay protesters tell him how to run his country like Obama does.”

h/t: CBS