In September 2012, the agency picked up a story from The Onion, a satirical newspaper, about a supposed survey showing "an overwhelming majority of rural white Americans would rather vote for Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad than U.S. President Barack Obama in the upcoming U.S. elections".
On September 2012, the agency discovered a piece in The Onion, a satirical publication, which stated that "the majority of rural white Americans would rather choose Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as their candidate for the upcoming U.S. election than Barack Obama."