One day after The Boston Herald quoted heavily from a fake news story from The Borowitz Report as if it were real news, the tabloid newspaper announced a "groundbreaking new arrangement" with the satirical website.
"Effective immediately, The Boston Herald and The Borowitz Report are merging news operations," said Carol Foyler, a spokesperson for the tabloid. "As a result, we are shutting down our bureaus in New York, Washington, and Boston."
The Herald said that it came to its decision after The Borowitz Report story it re-published, "Cheney Challenges Hillary to Hunting Contest," failed to set off any alarms in its fact-checking department.
"We figure that if it fooled us, it would probably fool our readers, too," Ms. Foyler said.
Davis Logsdon, a University of Minnesota expert who has offered his opinions on a broad range of subjects for The Borowitz Report, said that he was "delighted" by the chance to lend his insights to The Boston Herald as well.
"I think that the association with The Borowitz Report can only enhance the Herald's journalistic credibility," Mr. Logsdon said.
For its part, the Herald said that its readers would only notice "minor changes" to the paper, whose front-page headline tomorrow morning reads POPE CONVERTS TO JUDAISM.
Andy Borowitz is a comedian and writer whose work appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times, and at his award-winning humor site, BorowitzReport.com. He is the host of "Countdown to '08" at the 92nd Street Y on Tuesday, May 13 at 8 PM with his special guests Calvin Trillin (The New Yorker), Susie Essman (HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Jonathan Alter (Newsweek, MSNBC). For tickets, go to 92y.org.