In early December, the founders of Memewaukee, a Milwaukee Facebook page of memes and community content, launched Wisconsin News Today – a ‘news source’ you never have to fact check.
WNT is a satirical news site printing headlines such as, “American Family Steps Down from Ballpark Deal, Silk Exotic Steps Up” and “Panicked White Woman Calls Police On Suspicious Looking Bronz Fonz.” Alonzo Rivera is an editor and writer for the site, who uses the Rivera pseudonym because “illusion is part of the brand.” He says the features stem from pitch meetings, where they, “spitball until something makes us chuckle.”
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On the sight you’ll find articles such as “Citizens Outraged as Proposed 2021 Budget Includes Rims for the Hop,” which follows the controversial fictional city budget that “threw many council members for a loop” with “brand new, spinning, 28 inch Rims” for the street car. Another satirical articles, “Researchers Find That COIVD-19 Virus Did NOT Originate at Trinity Three Irish Pubs,” reports that the owners are ecstatic they do not need to add COVID to the list of diseases, like chlamydia, which began at the local watering-hole.
WNT’s team of five staff writers and two freelancers, like Rivera, all use pseudonyms and are currently producing two to three posts a week. Their current goal is to post one “article” a day Monday through Friday.
Rivera is using Memewaukee and the other Facebook groups of which he is a contributor, such as Wisconsin Kwik Trip Enthusiast Club, to boost the reach of WNT, as the site grows.
“We’ve all been working really hard at this,” says Rivera.
