Scunt

Scunt is a award-winning British "satirical news" organization. It features satirical articles which report on international, national, and local news. It claims a circulation of 40,000 unique hits per month.
Scunt articles comment on current events, both real and imagined. It parodies traditional newspaper features, such as editorials, reviews, and stock quotes. Much of its humor depends on presenting extraordinary events as mundane items, and by playing on commonly used phrases, as in the headline "Scientists In Two Minds About Schizophrenia" and "Sub-Onion Bullshit Continues To Pollute Internet;" which, as a homage to The Onion, expressed frustration at The Onion's ongoing brilliance accepting that "The Onion does indeed make us cry from time to time."
History
Scunt has existed since 2002, when it was a small two-sided A4 weekly satirical news-sheet distributed for free across London. For the first two years it's monthly circulation would reach over 10,000. In the years leading up to the web-launch however, this dropped considerably.
The web-launch was a huge success. Scunt entered the market as the United Kingdom's second most popular satirical publication after the esteemed Private Eye.
Scunt first came to national attention in the United Kingdom in February of 2009 when a story it wrote suggesting that Stephen Fry would not be allowed to die was picked up by the Daily Express where it was run as news. The story suggested that Fry's brain contained formulae to mathematical problems long thought impossible, lyrics to unrecorded Abba songs that even the individual band members had forgotten, as well as every permutation of moves possible in a game of chess. Despite having been duped, The Express printed no apology, explanation or clarification and certain Express readers may still believe it to be true.
In April, the singer/songwriter Morrissey threatened legal action after two unfavourable pieces were written about him in quick succession. The articles are still on-line and Scunt have shown no sign of taking them down.
Distribution
Scunt has a small printed edition still in circulation which is distributed across London and disparate parts of the United Kingdom albeit on a very limited run.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu