That’s because many websites merely post wire stories from the Associated Press and Reuters. Don’t get me wrong, both news services do great work toward the advancement of worldwide weirdness. It’s just that once they’ve hit the wires, everyone knows about them, and they’re not as interesting.
There are, however, a few sites that go to extraordinary lengths to ferret out hard-to-find stories that keep us laughing – and they deserve all the accolades, page views, subscriptions, muffin baskets, etc., that you care to offer.
These four certainly aren’t the only ones doing good work, but they deserve to be singled out because they’ve been doing it for a long time, and their sites are such a great read.
1. Chuck Shepherd -- News of the Weird
Chuck Shepherd bills himself as “America's Weird News Anchor,” and if anything, it’s an understatement. Under his trademarked “News of the Weird” banner, he’s a one-man industry.
2. Jim Romenesko: The Obscure Store
If one man has legitimized weird news, it is Jim Romenesko, the esteemed reporter at the Poynter Institute who also publishes the Obscure Store and Reading Room, which links to stories across the country with deliciously droll comments.
3. Drew Curtis: Fark
Drew Curtis can put a snappy headline on anything, and since 1999, he’s turned Fark into one of they best places to laugh at all the non-news that’s passed off as news. It's also an all-night rockin' online community.
4. Randy Cassingham: This Is True
Weird news isn’t rocket science, and Randy Cassingham should know. Before turning his full attention to ThisIsTrue.com, he worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His greatest feat in ballistics, however, might have been getting his career off the ground -- and we're very grateful that he has.
