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Pranksters print spoof NY Times | Pranksters print spoof NY Times |
(1 day later) | |
A fake edition of the New York Times announcing the end of the Iraq war has been handed out to commuters in the US. | A fake edition of the New York Times announcing the end of the Iraq war has been handed out to commuters in the US. |
More than one million free copies of the 14-page "special edition" newspaper were distributed, mainly in the cities of New York and Los Angeles. | |
Another bogus story was about all Americans being given free healthcare. | |
A liberal group called the Yes Men, well known in the US for its practical jokes, claimed responsibility for the elaborate prank. | A liberal group called the Yes Men, well known in the US for its practical jokes, claimed responsibility for the elaborate prank. |
The fake paper - dated 4 July 2009 - had a motto on its front page which read "all the news we hope to print". | The fake paper - dated 4 July 2009 - had a motto on its front page which read "all the news we hope to print". |
The hoax was accompanied by a website that mimicked the look of The New York Times's real website. | |
A page of the spoof site contained links to dozens of liberal organisations, which were also listed in the print edition. | A page of the spoof site contained links to dozens of liberal organisations, which were also listed in the print edition. |
The fake edition surprised commuters, many of whom took the free copies thinking they were legitimate. | The fake edition surprised commuters, many of whom took the free copies thinking they were legitimate. |
Later, the Yes Men issued a statement claiming responsibility. | Later, the Yes Men issued a statement claiming responsibility. |
"In an elaborate operation six months in the planning, 1.2 million papers were printed at six different presses and driven to pre-arranged pick-up locations." | |
The statement added that thousands of volunteers helped to distribute the fake edition. | The statement added that thousands of volunteers helped to distribute the fake edition. |
A spokeswoman for the newspaper, Catherine Mathis, said: "This is obviously a fake issue of The Times. We are in the process of finding out more about it." |
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