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[Update] BBC Successfully Trolls April Fools' Day
By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 1, 2012
Modified Apr 1, 2012
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Apr 1, 2012
Modified Apr 1, 2012
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Google may have gotten the jump start on April Fools' Day yesterday with their (actually quite fun) 8-Bit Google Maps for Nintendo, but BBC had the last laugh. Eschewing all subtly or regard for the sanctity of "mocking and harassing the ignorant, the stubborn, and the curmudgeonly," Redditors noticed that BBC instead slapped together the above deadpan news bulletin. THIS is how you do April Fools' Day, Russell Simmons.
Of course, as we learned from our history of April Fools' Day yesterday, there are very strict rules in England that explain why you won't be able to find the BBC article anymore: "In England, you're only supposed to pull jokes until noon, and if you pull a joke after noon, you're called an "April Fool." Now if only Jeremy Lin's season-ending knee injury were just an April Fools' Day joke...
Update: It seems most of the internet has been trolled on this one. The BBC story was actually the work of one Greg Stekelman (who commented below). And we fell for it—but to defend ourselves, the whole England/after noon bit made it seem plausible that the entire story had been removed (as have many other April Fools' Day jokes on sites such as Forbes). It fooled Buzzfeed and Redditors—and even people who responded to Stekelman's own original tweet.
In related news, the Criterion Collection is totally offering Kindergarten Cop! Expect our in-depth review forthcoming. Spoiler: the toomah was always a layered metaphor.
Tagged
april fools day
bbc
pranks
troll
trolling
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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