Chinese Paper Pulls Finger, Looks to Make Sure Fridge Is Running

Someone calling themselves “Blog Lover” forwards this little gem from Reuters (Motto: “One man’s wire service is another man’s ingrown toenail.”)

Beijing’s most popular newspaper has unwittingly republished a bogus story about U.S. Congress threats to skip town for Memphis or Charlotte unless Washington builds them a new Capitol building with a retractable dome.

The source? America’s celebrated spoof tabloid, the Onion.

The Beijing Evening News, which claims a circulation of 1.25 million, translated portions of the Onion’s tall tale word-for-word in the international news page of its June 3 edition.

Ah, the editorial rigors of state-owned media. If you missed the original Onion story — a classic, even by their high standards — you can find it here.