Fake New York Times: 'Iraq War Ends'
Pranksters have distributed 1.2 million fake copies of the New York Times claiming the war in Iraq has ended.
The mock Times was dated July 4, 2009 and included a series of positive news stories over 14 pages. It was handed out by thousands of volunteers in cities around the US.
Many readers were left confused by stories including "Public Universities To Be Free" and "National Health Insurance Act Passes," some even celebrated the good news.
A spoof website www.nytimes-se.com was also setup with the stories.
"We wanted to experience what it would look like, and feel like, to read headlines we really want to read," said one of the organizers in a press release.
"It's about what's possible, if we think big and act collectively," he added.
A spokeswoman for the real New York Times (the one without all the good news) said: "This is obviously a fake ... We are in the process of finding out more about it."
Links:
Fake New York Times
Real New York Times
Pranksters have distributed 1.2 million fake copies of the New York Times claiming the war in Iraq has ended.The mock Times was dated July 4, 2009 and included a series of positive news stories over 14 pages. It was handed out by thousands of volunteers in cities around the US.
Many readers were left confused by stories including "Public Universities To Be Free" and "National Health Insurance Act Passes," some even celebrated the good news.
A spoof website www.nytimes-se.com was also setup with the stories.
"We wanted to experience what it would look like, and feel like, to read headlines we really want to read," said one of the organizers in a press release.
"It's about what's possible, if we think big and act collectively," he added.
A spokeswoman for the real New York Times (the one without all the good news) said: "This is obviously a fake ... We are in the process of finding out more about it."
Links:
Fake New York Times
Real New York Times
