This morning, New Yorkers were gifted with free copies of the NY Times on the street - but they weren’t just any New York Times. They were copies from the future, dated July 4, 2009, and headlined with the long-awaited news: “IRAQ WAR ENDS.” The copies, bearing the same look and feel as the real deal, are filled with other fake news stories pointing to the pranksters’ hopes of what the future could hold (i.e., “New York Bike Path System Expanded Dramatically” and “National Health Insurance Act Passes.”)
The stunt is linked to The Yes Men, a liberal prank group that has been pulling off similarly bold and complicated hoaxes like this for years. While most people immediately recognize (and perhaps as quickly disregard) the stunt as a stunt, Gothamist brings out an interesting take on it:
CityRoom spoke to Alex S. Jones, who co-wrote “The Trust,” about the paper’s history, “I would say, If you’ve got one, hold on to it. It will probably be a collector’s item. I’m just glad someone thinks the New York Times print edition is worthy of an elaborate hoax. A Web spoof would have been infinitely easier. But creating a print newspaper and handing it out at subway stations? That takes a lot of effort… I consider this a gigantic compliment to The Times.”
CityRoom also got a quote from Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis, who seems less enthralled, “This is obviously a fake issue of The Times. We are in the process of finding out more about it.”
You can read the fake issue online here. Watch the video below for more:
[via Gothamist]
Awesome
November 12th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT (72 FONT, BRIGHT PINK FONT). YESMEN YES. Bring it on - globally, a collective, collative exercise for people all over the world to participate in, let’s write articles back in time. Watch energy levels soar and spirits fly. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Advertise sustainable businesses in the year 2060, give life to visions for the future… put them in ink and make it real! I’LL PLAY!
November 14th, 2008 at 12:35 am
“similarly bold and complicated hoaxes”
Sorry, there’s nothing bold and complicated about this. 1) You have some douche who works at a printers. 2) He has a friend who works in typesetting. 3) Over a few beers at the local tavern, they decide to “do something grand”. 4) They blog about their idea. (Wow. That’s bold.) 5) They get a bunch of people, through no active process, to hand out whatever they have printed at multiple locations.
Now, explain how this is “a bold and complicated hoax”.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:54 am