This morning in NYC international pranksters The Yes Men and The Anti-Advertising Agency printed and distributed thousands of copies of a fake version of the New York Times dated July 4, 2009 with the headline “Iraq War Ends”. They recruited volunteers through the website Because We Want It to distribute the fake paper.
Gawaker describes how the prank came together and here’s the reaction from the New York Times. There is also an online version of the fake paper, including a PDF.
UPDATE 1: Noneck has a few copies of the fake NYT that he is selling on eBay.
UPDATE 2: Here’s a CNN interview with Andy Bichlbaum (The Yes Men) and Steve Lambert (Anti-Advertising Agency).
UPDATE 3: De Beers Threatens Legal Action Against Fake New York Times
via Urban Prankster
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- De Beers Threatens Legal Action Against Fake New York Times
- New York Times Article Skimmer
- A Tour of The New York Times
- TimesMachine Launches, 70 Years of The New York Times Archives
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
wondering how much they'll go for on eBay? “if you've got one, hold onto it”
Is it me, or is was this just mean?
That's pretty easy to find out. Noneck has a few copies that he's selling on eBay: http://noneck.org/looking-copy-ny-times-special...
Hahaha, very nice; would like to get my hands on a copy of that.
The Judith Miller comment during the NYTimes interview was such a slam. Loved the reaction as the interviewee walked away. Tho I suspect he was not a real spokeperson for the NYT
Imaginitive, creative, determined pranksters, like San Francisco used to be!
The Unconventional Action Network already did this on the day after the election. http://www.mediahacker.org/2008/11/anarchists-a...
was that Lili Taylor?
“Like Judith Miller!” Classic!!! Kudos to whoever that person was.
Lili Taylor!!! What she was doing there? :)
here's the link to the PDF: http://www.nytimes-se.com/nytse/wp-content/uplo... . site was overloaded yesterday
Really great to see such an action, and how people felt on the event. I like how the NYT's has said they are amused with it, and honoured to be copied as 'credible news source'.
Oh, and it's simple: Lili's a New Yorker through and through, eh?