Was the Onion Twitter Feed Hacked?

The Onion is trending on speculation that the popular satirical newspaper’s Twitter feed was hacked.

The tweet in question read, “Breaking: Witnesses reporting screams and gunfire heard inside Capitol building.” Since this is hardly a laughing matter, many believed it was either real or that the Onion’s Twitter feed had been hacked.

Minutes later, the Onion tweeted: “BREAKING: Capitol building being evacuated. 12 children held hostage by group of armed congressmen,” signaling that the first tweet was in fact a joke.

The fact that the Onion isn’t a real news organization didn’t stop Capitol police from investigating the fake hostage situation. When asked for comment, the Onion said: “This is satire. That’s how it works.”