In deciding to present our readers with an April Fool’s inspired news story — or 20 — as we have in this weekend’s issue, the Daily Press not only extends what has become a tradition here in our newsroom, but a long-running prank the press has been pulling on readers for more than half a century.
In 1957, it was famously announced on a BBC show that mild winter temperatures had eradicated the spaghetti weevil — archenemy to spaghetti farmers everywhere. Footage of delighted farmers pulling pasta from trees had viewers yearning to harvest their own.
Since that time, media outlets have pulled the proverbial rug out from under their viewers, listeners and readers whenever they had the chance. Some examples include: A national newspaper ad announcing fast-food chain Taco Bell’s sponsorship of a national landmark, the Taco Liberty Bell; A radio broadcast urging amateur astronomers to jump in the air at precisely 9:47 a.m. to experience a floating sensation; A Swedish television station prompting viewers to stretch a stocking over their screens to enjoy broadcasts in color.
All this satire and joke’s-on-you stuff, it’s just our duty as journalists, our responsibility to carry the torch and bridge the gap between the old school and the new age... well, that and it’s really, really fun.
As for the “flip” cover, it’s a first for the Daily Press, a new wrinkle in the April Fool’s gambit that not only served — in our estimation — as a clever bit of trickery, but also a means to produce both a straight weekend edition and a supplemental Sunday satire issue.
We hope it proved to be a “gotcha” moment for each of our readers.
So if you were duped, we hope you enjoyed the ride. If you were lampooned, we hope you take it all in stride. And if you were left just feeling bitter and in a bad state, there’s always the real news to cheer you up.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 31, 2007. Read the original PDF.