The White House appears to be making a big stink over The Onion’s use of the presidential seal on its website. While generally, Federal Government logos and insignias aren’t copyrighted, the White House has in the past asked certain parties not to use certain White House emblems and elements “inappropriately.” But such requests have always been haphazard and under shady circumstances, with “inappropriate use” not being clearly defined.
In this case, the Onion has used the seal to spoof Bush’s weekly radio addresses. I think it’s fairly obvious that anything printed in The Onion isn’t to be believed, even if the stories are sometimes so ironic they could be true, especially considering that the Onion’s Editor in Chief made it clear that the White House has bigger things to worry about:
“I would advise them to look for that other guy Osama (bin Laden)…rather than comedians. I don’t think we pose much of a threat,” [E.I.C. Scott] Dikkers said.