I Got "Got" & More Bad Reporting

I am generally pretty good about spotting April Fool's jokes before I fall into believing them, but every now and then someone or something gets me. Generally because I am predisposed to believe people and rarely assume people are lying to me (unless context gives me reason to, like it being April 1).

I’ll admit I got “got” this week. And enjoyed the way reality bends when such things happen.

I’m generally a big fan of Improv Everywhere generally because the things they do don’t hurt anyone and they clean up after themselves. They’re the folks behind the No Pants! Subway Rides and Mp3 Experiments every year, among other one-off missions such as the High Five Escalator or Subway Art Gallery Opening.

But when they posted about their Best Funeral Ever mission the other day, I thought they had crossed the line. They found a funeral with few attendees and then showed up pretending to be old friends of the deceased paying their respects. I squirmed in my seat as I read it and started writing a blog post in my head about how wrong it was.

Then today I (thankfully) found out it was all an April Fool. Very good. Very good. I applaud you. Reality bent and straightened back, thank you.

But it seems I wasn’t the only one who got “got”. The local news reported on it that night, thinking it was real. From the Improv Everywhere website:

So basically the extent of their reporting is watching a video on YouTube and then describing it as fact on air. They didn’t bother to email Improv Everywhere for comment, call the cemetery to verify, or try to get a quote from the “family.” They just watched the video and threw it on TV. Great journalism!

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I don’t watch TV news.

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As a side note, here's a list of some of the April Fool's Jokes on the web this year.