"For the 250th anniversary of America, we're making a documentary called 'Birth of a Nation,' which is great,"
"I was covering neo-Nazis and psychopaths, a.k.a., like the United States government for NBC News,"
"We can't lose this,"
"We wanted to make a case to everybody else in the media that if you do actually double down on the stuff that your readers like and you don't capitulate and try to browbeat and suck up to power left and right . . . it's better for you,"
The Onion is developing a documentary titled “Birth of a Nation” for America’s 250th anniversary. The project reflects a broader shift as the company moves beyond satire headlines. Ben Collins, who acquired The Onion in 2024 with investors, previously covered extremism and misinformation online at NBC News. After leaving NBC News in late 2023, Collins saw a report that The Onion was for sale and assembled investors quickly to buy it. At acquisition, revenue was about $1.5 million annually, largely from low-quality ad networks. Afterward, the company focused on subscriptions, print products, and audience support, reaching about 80,000 paying subscribers and a large YouTube and digital audience.
Read at Fast Company
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