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When April Fools jokes go wrong

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Deskhack, Apr 1, 2010.

  1. TwoGloves

    TwoGloves Well-Known Member

    Isn't he a former architect as well?
     
  2. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Two things here:

    IF you are going to do a spoof, whether in print, broadcast or online, you damn sure better have a disclaimer somewhere stating as much, lest you create a "War of the Worlds" situation. (What if we ran a spoof story about some terrorists blowing up something or North Korea firing off a few nukes? Pretty funny, eh?)

    This kind of stuff should be treated as seriously as libel and should be liable for lawsuits.

    Second, if the story is at all remotely plausible, such as the football player playing baseball (plenty of athletes do that), then it is the responsibility of the PR person to fess up at first opportunity.

    Totally irresponsible, IMO.
     
  3. PCLoadLetter

    PCLoadLetter Well-Known Member

    And the Oregon quarterback before Masoli -- Dennis Dixon -- played minor league baseball in the off-season.
     
  4. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Agree on all counts - now if the release had in there something like Masoli is a distant cousin of former Mets phenom Sidd Finch or that the team was allowing him to keep his amateur status by only paying him with a laptop computer (you have to provide a wink) - then maybe. But confirming it? Good luck getting TV coverage this summer.
    Also think it's borderline to drag an uninvolved party like Masoli in to your joke. Would have been better if they said they were changing their name to the Nikes, the Levys...
     
  5. Sammi

    Sammi Member

    I put April Fools and Professional Wrestling in the same category. I used to love them. And then I turned 10.
     
  6. John

    John Well-Known Member

    That never got off the ground, nor did the latex business run out of Jerry's apartment.
     
  7. flexmaster33

    flexmaster33 Well-Known Member

    Jerry wasn't fired...he was posting his original blogpost so we could see it because management took it down after the initial outcry.

    1) Our society in general needs to rediscover a sense of humor; 2) I don't think playing an April Fool's prank "ruins" your credibility.

    However, a few key things before you attempt one of these...1) Make sure anyone included in the stunt has given you permission to become involved in it and 2) Clear it with management first...you have to know there are going to be people out there complaining whether it's because they are duped or because they are super serious robots. Make sure your supervisors are on board for handling the backlash.

    April Fool's jokes...I can live with them or without them, but I enjoy getting duped by a really good one :)

    In the Emeralds' case, the PR rep should have given up the gig when the confirmation call came in. She took it a step too far and needed to come clean when others were trying to do their jobs.

    The stations should demand some sort of apology...although I don't think this warrants firing or a season-long ban...at least as long as she can admit to her mistake.
     
  8. murphyc

    murphyc Well-Known Member

    The release was sent out the night of the 31st, but with an April 1 dateline. I'm just saying a call to someone at the UO would have busted the joke, since the Ems acted alone on this. But I agree with the sentiment the PR lady should have come clean when she started getting calls.
    Even after sending out the release, the Ems could still get mention while not burning bridges. When the calls from TV start coming in, admit that it's a joke but ask the stations to play along. I'm betting TV stations would be OK, having something like "By the way, tomorrow is April 1" at the end of the story. TV gets a funny story, Ems get publicity, it's all good. Instead there is a strained relationship with little positive for either the Ems or TV. High risk, low reward.
     
  9. exmediahack

    exmediahack Well-Known Member

    Minor-league baseball teams need to be REAL careful when they irritate local media in 2010, at least if they want frequent coverage.

    Many, many TV stations have had the conscious decision not to cover minor-league baseball and hockey teams on a daily basis because the research shows that nobody cares whether they win or lose. Shoot, I take my kids, as a fan, to about 8-10 games of both minor-league teams we have and I don't even care if they win or lose. Couldn't tell ya an hour after the game. It's entertainment for us. For all of the crackpot TV research and study, I'll agree with this about minor-league sports.

    Sure, they'll crank out a few features here and there but, for the daily 40 seconds of "The Midgets took on the Aardvarks today at Mushroom Field", that is fading more than ever.

    I could definitely see this happening in a TV market like Eugene, where it is so Duck heavy that the Ems would probably be eighth or ninth priority.
     
  10. PCLoadLetter

    PCLoadLetter Well-Known Member

    Particularly since the Ducks just added baseball recently, so the Ems have more direct competition than ever.
     
  11. Wenders

    Wenders Well-Known Member

    I had a friend that was gullible enough to believe this one: UT to end football program

    It included a linked story about one of their main QBs transferring to Oklahoma in the wake.
     
  12. hwkcrz1

    hwkcrz1 Member

    A follow-up to the Jerry Davich April Fool's blog disaster.

    http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2010/04/lin-brehmer-garrard-mcclendon-jerry-davich-amy-jacobson-big-john-howell-april-fools-fallout.html

    At Sun-Times Media's Post-Tribune, columnist Davich's prank ran headlong into some exceptionally bad timing.
    "On Wednesday night, I wrote on my online blog that I was fired from the Post-Tribune due to public backlash from a previous column," Davich had to explain in a subsequent Post-Tribune blog post, under the heading "April Fools Day joke goes awry with angry, confused readers."

    One reason readers might have been angry and confused by his hoax was that the Post-Tribune had in fact on Wednesday laid off a writer and copy editor. Davich was out of the newsroom when the cuts came down and didn't know about them at the time.

    As a result, although he didn't mention it in his explanation to readers, Davich's mock firing showed up on his blog not too long before news of the Post-Tribune's actual layoffs broke online.
    "Even my own mother called me around midnight, asking if I just lost my job," Davich wrote. "'Is it true?' she asked. No, mom, it's not true. It was just a joke. Ha, ha, ha, ugh. On Thursday morning I received more calls, including one from a P-T editor telling me that readers were already calling the office complaining."

    Davich wound up e-mailing an apology to his Post-Tribune colleagues. As disparaging comments accumulated under the original blog post, it was yanked offline by the paper's editors although Davich would quote from it in his explanation.

    Part of the confusion stemmed from Davich not revealing his prank in the post itself. Readers had to send him an e-mail, ostensibly seeking more details, to be told it was an April Fools' Day joke.
     
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