Ah, April Fool’s Day. The day when normally sorta-staid members of the Fourth Estate get to put their feet up, shed their serious suits, and, with a collective guffaw, let their inner imps out for a romp. (Teehee! Hey, public—you’ve been Punk’d!)
April 1’s particular strain of “gotcha!” journalism, when done right (and even when done wrong), can be seriously epic…but—beware, all you Jon Stewart wannabes out there—journalism and humor don’t always mix well. And the vast majority of today’s pranks—as the vast majority of most April Fool’s shenanigans, year in and year out—have gone either too far with their jokes…or not far enough. (Seriously: who, in the end, should that dubiously hoaxy Politico memo leave feeling foolish?)
As Christopher Marlowe* once wrote, “A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.” With that in mind, and taking a cue from New York magazine’s Approval Matrix, here’s your at-a-glance guide to some of the more high-profile of today’s stunts: the Guardian’s shift to Twitter, the marriage between a California Congresswoman and Osama bin Laden, John Yoo’s war-crimes arrest, Google’s Autopilot, the Tribune’s direct-to-brain news delivery device, Congressional calisthenics, politicians taking a stand for animals wronged by sports, and Chris Cillizza taking on a new sport besides politics. Oh, and! Global warming itself being proven a hoax.
* Actually, it was Shakespeare who wrote that! Teehee! April Fool’s!
White House bails out "responsible" Las Vegas gamblers:
http://www.notthelatimes.com/vegasbailout.html
#1 Posted by zapata, CJR on Wed 1 Apr 2009 at 08:06 PM
Isn't appropriating New York mag's approval matrix instead of coming up with something original "Pretty Lame"?
#2 Posted by leelee, CJR on Wed 1 Apr 2009 at 08:41 PM
Diane Rehm today repeatedly complained about how scientists had gotten out of control, citing a news story about farm-raised whales to be used as an energy source. After she complained about it again and again, she came back 10 minutes later to say she'd been had by an April Fool's joke. Apparently the joke was done on All Things Considered. If the joke is too subtle for the national program hosts to figure out . . . is that a problem with the joke or the host?
#3 Posted by dcfromboston, CJR on Thu 2 Apr 2009 at 04:57 PM
April Fools' Day, not April Fool's Day.
#4 Posted by Abe, CJR on Thu 2 Apr 2009 at 10:32 PM
《TAIPEI TIMES》胡扯「貓熊是棕熊染色」 愚人節惡搞團團圓圓 學者批：欺騙大眾
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2009年04月03日蘋果日報【綜合報導】國內英文報章《TAIPEI TIMES》（台北時報）前天愚人節刊出一則「假新聞」，指台北市立動物園飼養的中國貓熊團團、圓圓其實不是貓熊，而是溫州大棕熊，不僅黑白毛色是染出來的，且小倆口每天都在忙著交配。報導刊出後引發香港、美國等地民眾致電動物園查證真偽，讓動物園不堪其擾。學者痛批：「這明顯是欺騙社會大眾，很不負責任的做法。」
《TAIPEI TIMES》周三以「台北市立動物園陷入空前混亂──假貓熊露餡」為題作出報導，引述動物園員工稱發現團團、圓圓一反貓熊性慾差的常態，只要是沒睡覺的時間都在交配，才會產生質疑。另名員工則指每當貓熊呻吟聲太吵時，他都會向貓熊澆冷水，結果發現貓熊的黑白毛色會轉為棕色；雖曾向上級報告，但都被壓下來。該報導指，貓熊露餡的消息傳出後，有人將之比擬為去年中國毒奶事件翻版，並稱此事對兩岸關係造成嚴重打擊。該新聞在網路上兩天來已吸引逾兩萬人次點閱。
蘇俊賓盼媒體自律
北巿動物園園長葉傑生昨晚痛批：「《TAIPEI TIMES》玩笑開過頭，扭曲生態保育。」前天動物園已要求更正並道歉，但至今無善意回應。北巿動物園發言人金仕謙說，新聞刊出後至少接到二十通來自香港、美國、加拿大、日本的外國人來電詢問，還有國內民眾來電抱怨媒體亂寫。
《TAIPEI TIMES》昨晚發布新聞稿，指「讀者和觀眾在閱讀新聞或收看電視時，應具備批判思考的能力。」目前沒有準備刊登道歉啟事，但後天會在隸屬同一報系的《自由時報》上刊登後續報導。
佛光大學傳播系助理教授林如森批評《TAIPEI TIMES》是欺騙社會大眾。台灣師範大學大眾傳播研究所所長胡幼偉昨說：「報導中牽扯中國毒奶事件，讓整則新聞充滿政治目的。」新聞局長蘇俊賓表示，儘管目前無《出版法》可直接規範，但仍希望媒體能夠自行約束，以免引起不必要的困擾。
#5 Posted by danny bloom, CJR on Thu 2 Apr 2009 at 11:43 PM
What happned is that the Taipei Times in Taiwan ran an APril Fool's joke, CNN has it online, that said the pandas in the Tiapie zoo donated by communist CHina were NOT pandas, but just normal horny bears that wanted to mate all day long, unlike pandas, which hate to mate, and the story was completely silly and absurd but wrttien like a real news story and now the paper is getting flack because many intl media ran the story and many animal loves faxed the zoo boss and it is a big controversy now in taiwan beacuse some people have no sense of humour
#6 Posted by danny bloom, CJR on Thu 2 Apr 2009 at 11:53 PM
TAIPEI TIMES" talks nonsense “the pandas is the brown bear dyeing”
Publication date in: 2009-04-03 north 巿 zoo garden long Ye Jie lived
the pain to approve last night: “"TAIPEI TIMES" the joke opens
excessively, distortion ecology care.”The day before yesterday the zoo
has requested to correct and to apologize, but does not have the good
intentions response until now. North 巿 zoo spokesperson Jin Shiqian
said that after the news publishes, receives 20 from Hong Kong,
American, Canadian, Japan's foreigners to inquire by telegram at least
asked that but also has the domestic populace to come the electricity
to complain that the media scribbles. > "TAIPEI TIMES" last night
issued newly ...... Detailed original text Su Junbin hoped north the
media autonomy 巿 zoo garden long Ye Jie to live the pain to approve
last night: “"TAIPEI TIMES" the joke opens excessively, distortion
ecology care.”The day before yesterday the zoo has requested to
correct and to apologize, but does not have the good intentions
response until now. North 巿 zoo spokesperson Jin Shiqian said that
after the news publishes, receives 20 from Hong Kong, American,
Canadian, Japan's foreigners to inquire by telegram at least asked
that but also has the domestic populace to come the electricity to
complain that the media scribbles. "TAIPEI TIMES" last night issued
the news release, referred to “the reader and the audience when the
reading news or watched the television, should have the critique
ponder ability.”At present has not prepared the publication apology
announcement, but the day after tomorrow "Free Times" on publishes the
following report in the subordination identical syndicate. The Buddha
light university dissemination is assistant professor the Lin Ru woods
criticizes "TAIPEI TIMES" deceives the social populace. Taiwan
Teachers University Mass media dissemination Research institute
Manager Hu You great said yesterday: “in the report involves the
Chinese poisonous milk event, lets entire, then the news fills the
political objective.”News Bureau Chief Su Junbin indicated that
although present does not have "Publication law" may the direct
standard, but still hoped that the media can 夠 restrain voluntarily,
in order to avoid causes the nonessential puzzle.
#7 Posted by danny bloom, CJR on Fri 3 Apr 2009 at 12:03 AM
Pandemonium breaks out at Taipei Zoo
Zookeepers became suspicious of the resident giant pandas’ true pedigree after Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan began acting strangely
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Apr 01, 2009, Page 13
VIEW THIS PAGE
Taiwan-China relations were dealt a severe setback yesterday when it was found that Taipei Zoo’s “pandas” are not what they seem.
Zookeepers discovered at feeding time yesterday that the two pandas are in fact Wenzhou brown forest bears that had been dyed to create the panda’s distinctive black-and-white appearance.
The Taipei Zoo’s head of ursidae ex-procyonidae care, Connie Liu (劉長春), said she became suspicious when the pandas, Tuan Tuan (團團) and Yuan Yuan (圓圓), began to spend almost all of their waking hours having sex. Pandas are notorious for their low libidos, which make them difficult to breed in captivity.
“Let’s just say Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan would tuan yuan at every chance,” said Liu, referring to the combination of the panda’s names, which means “to reunite” in Mandarin. “They would do it doggy-style and every armchair zoologist knows that pandas favor the missionary position — when they do it at all. Their behavior caused chaos. Children screamed and parents became irate.”
Her suspicions were confirmed yesterday when she noticed that the animals’ new hair growth was discolored.
“Their roots began to show,” she said.
A zookeeper who asked to be identified only by his nickname A-diung (阿忠) because he was not authorized to speak with the media said he and his coworkers had long had their doubts, but were discouraged from publicly voicing their concerns by management.
“Whenever the moaning from the panda enclosure gets too loud we gotta go in there and hose ’em down with cold water,” he said. “After a while, parts of the animals’ black-and-white patches started to turn brown.”
He said he alerted senior zoo staff who dismissed his concerns.
“They told me pandas at the zoo in Washington, DC, get lethargic and sometimes lie in their own feces because they can’t tolerate hot weather, so it didn’t surprise them at all that their fur was turning brown since Taipei’s hotter on average than Washington,” he said.
The pandas arrived in Taipei last December as a gift from the Chinese government. The pair were first offered three years ago, but were rejected by then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). After the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) won the presidential election last May, the pandas were accepted, though critics continue to decry what they see as an attempt by Beijing to bribe Taiwanese with cute, cuddly furballs in lieu of a more meaningful gesture of goodwill such as removing some of the 1,500 missiles China has pointed at Taiwan.
Even the pandas’ most diehard supporters were brokenhearted yesterday. Some angrily compared the subterfuge to last year’s contaminated milk scandal, when melamine that had been added to watered-down milk sickened 300,000 victims across China and led to a recall of diary products in countries including Taiwan.
“First the milk scandal and now this. What are we going to hear next?” said Chang I-jun (張麗君), a Taipei resident.
Chang, who operates a souvenir stand near the zoo’s entrance, added that the scandal would affect sales of her stuffed panda toys, panda T-shirts, panda pens and notepads, remote-controlled pandas on wheels, caps with panda ears on top, panda fans, panda flashlights, panda mugs, panda eyeglass cases, panda face masks, panda slippers, panda wallets and panda purses.
“China certainly owes us an apology,” said Chang.
In a statement released yesterday evening, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) addressed the panda scandal.
“We understand that our compatriots in Taiwan are very upset. We wish to assure them that we have taken steps to addre
#8 Posted by danny bloom, CJR on Fri 3 Apr 2009 at 12:24 AM
Panda prank in Taipei Times in Taiwan draws global attention
By Loa Iok-sin
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Apr 04, 2009, Page 2
TAIPEI TIMES
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/04/04/2003440191
An April Fools’ prank published in the Taipei Times on Wednesday has drawn attention and started a debate amongst readers at home and abroad, with some saying they enjoyed the joke, some falling for it and laughing it off afterwards, and others who were not amused.
The hoax article titled “Pandemonium breaks out at Taipei Zoo” said that Tuan Tuan (團團) and Yuan Yuan (圓圓), the two pandas that arrived in December as gifts from China, were discovered to be Wenzhou brown forest bears dyed black and white after zoo workers noticed unusual sexual behavior.
The story was quickly posted on a number of blogs around the world — and was even translated into Spanish. Although most readers identified it as an April Fools’ item, some fell for it.
On an online Singaporean forum, an Internet user with the screen name Daryl — after several others users had identified the story as a hoax — wrote: “Huh? So which part is the April Fool?”
Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT) chairwoman Chow Mei-li (周美里) wrote on the online TFOT discussion forum that she had already printed the story to read before someone told her it was an April Fools’ hoax.
Replying to Chow, Freddy Lim (林昶佐), lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Chthonic, said a friend told him to check the news in the morning.
“I almost ran home to print it out like Mei-li did. But then I remembered it was April Fools’ Day,” Lim said.
International news media, including CNN, Time magazine and the Times, cited the Taipei Times story in their reports on Wednesday about April Fools’ pranks published by newspapers around the world.
“It’s April Fools’ Day — when media outlets around the world take a break from the serious business of delivering news and play fast and furious with the facts,” CNN said in its report.
However, not everyone was amused.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) yesterday called the story “untrue and baseless” and urged the Taipei Times to print an apology.
Taipei Zoo director Jason Yeh (葉傑生) did not see the funny side either and expressed concern about the prank’s negative impact on panda conservation education.
“The story carried incorrect information on panda behavior and could mislead the public,” he said. “The Taipei Zoo made a lot of effort to get the pandas at the zoo and we don’t want to see our efforts being destroyed.”
“We understand the story was an April Fool, but I don’t think the newspaper should risk damaging its credibility by carrying such story simply to make people laugh,” he said.
On the other hand, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday seemed to get the joke.
When approached by reporters for comment on the story as he accompanied a group of students to visit the zoo’s Panda Hall, Hau said: “Let me tell you, Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan are actually Taiwanese Formosa bears.”
Geoffrey Davies, head of the journalism department at London’s University of Westminster, was quoted in the CNN report as saying that running an April Fool does not particularly affect a news outlet’s credibility.
“They are done in such a way that you know it’s a joke,” he was quoted as saying.
A statement issued by the Taipei Times said: “Printing funny fake stories has a long tradition in Western media. Not only is it funny, it reminds people to read the news with a critical eye.”
Running an April Fools’ Day prank is a tradition at the Taipei Times. In 2006, a prank story said the Ministry of National Defense had discovered a secret Taiwanese weapons program using chemicals extracte
#9 Posted by danny bloom, CJR on Fri 3 Apr 2009 at 11:30 PM