The AP reports that the Los Angeles Times printed an April Fool’s Day fake press release as legitimate news.
L.A. Times Prints Quote From Fake Release
A quote in a fake news release that was intended as an April Fool’s joke ended up in a front-page story in the Los Angeles Times. The story in Tuesday’s editions of the Times noted how successful the reintroduction of wolves had been 10 years ago, but said the predators remained controversial. “In Wyoming, for example, Gov. Dave Freudenthal last April decreed that the Endangered Species Act is no longer in force and that the state ‘now considers the wolf as a federal dog,’ unworthy of protection,” the story read.
The Times printed a correction Wednesday, acknowledging that the news release was a hoax. “The reporter saw it on the Internet and had talked with the governor in the past, so she was familiar enough with the way he talks and writes that she thought it sounded authentic, and she didn’t check, which she should have,” Times Deputy Metro Editor David Lauter told the Casper Star Tribune.
“We hate when this kind of thing happens, and we correct it as quickly as we can,” Lauter said.
Funny.
Update: Ace adds, “It’s so sad when effete narcisstic children grab the megaphone without integrity or accountability.” I had a similar, although slightly less funny, reaction but was going to let them slide since they corrected it in the next edition. (See this post for background.)
