If you’ve lived online at all at any point in the last twenty years, you’ll have heard of The Onion. Turns out, if you were in Madison, WI, in the US in the late 1980s, you would have been there to see its founding as a free weekly newspaper. This is The Onion’s oral history as collected by someone who was there for part of its existence: Christine Wenc was a staff member from 1988 to 1990, and has stayed in contact with some of her colleagues in the years since.

*Funny Because It’s True* tracks the rise and fall and rise and fall and … maybe rise of The Onion since 1988, from its early ownership—Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson—through subsequent early owner-investors Scott Dikkers, Peter Haise and Jonathan Hart Eddy, all the way through to its new and current ownership, Global Tetrahedron (an Onion in-joke). Wenc details the way The Onion found its footing and identity as a progressive alt-weekly run by quirky management and staff, through staff and corporate cultural changes over the years, and showing why The Onion very nearly ceased to exist. The story of The Onion is indeed the stuff of legend, that of a venerable US institution that has satirised US life and politics to great effect. It’s also a story that tracks changes in journalism and media in the US in the last quarter century and more.

Clearly, Wenc, a trusted insider, has been able to access material and people from The Onion’s history that another historian would not have—so readers get to hear about in-fighting, poor management, staff disgruntlement, some ruthless managerial behaviour, and worse. To be honest, it sounds like it was mostly a nightmare to work there as a creative—that you had to be a certain and very hardy kind of person to endure it—even you get to say I was there; maybe it’s that and possibly the friends you made along the way? So yes, it’s entertaining to read about, but you have to feel for the staff who bore the toxicity at The Onion—especially in the early years, before attempts to professionalise. It’s a burning question: Was the Onion what it was because of or in spite of the wild work environment there?he wild work kenvironment

An important point Wenc makes is how The Onion was one of the first to exist online, and how successful that was—to the point that it continued online after the print edition ceased in 2013, and still does today. It’s clear that very smart people passed through The Onion, both on the creative/editorial and business sides. All of those small (and large) contributions have kept it going for as long as it has, through ups and downs and huge challenges.

The Onion is that odd thing: a thing that shouldn’t—couldn’t really—exist, but does. This is its fascinating oral history, ably collected, compiled and contextualised by Wenc.

Thanks to Running Press and NetGalley for DRC access.

Reading Funny Because It's True by Christine Wenc was like taking a fascinating trip through the history of modern satire, and I found myself both laughing and reflecting on how The Onion reshaped comedy and news. I loved learning about the group of misfits behind the publication, whose unconventional journey became a cultural phenomenon that still influences the media today. The book left me with a deep appreciation for the absurdity of life and how humor can be an incredibly powerful tool for truth-telling.

Funny Because It’s True by Christine Wenc is a fascinating look at how The Onion grew from a small college paper into a satire powerhouse. Wenc traces its unexpected rise and lasting influence on comedy and media, including shows like The Daily Show. Through interviews with key figures, she offers a compelling behind-the-scenes look at its evolution. The book is both insightful and timely, making it a great read for anyone interested in journalism, comedy, or cultural history.