In a context of distrust among part of the public towards journalists, fewer and fewer media outlets are risking April Fools’ jokes on April 1st. In the past, some humorous publications have sometimes been taken too seriously.
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April 1st is generally synonymous with jokes and hoaxes, this day rhymes with April Fool’s Day, between friends, family or colleagues. A few years ago, many media outlets played the April Fool’s game. From now on, fewer and fewer publications risk it, several media, for example Marianne, the Express or certain local editorial staff of France 3 have even announced that they are renouncing this tradition.
April fools taken wrongly at face value
In a context of distrust of the press, and significant circulation of false information, particularly linked to the war in Ukraine, or the covid health crisis in recent years. Some media April Fools have sometimes been taken too seriously.
A few years ago, the Maddyness site specializing in start-ups and innovation claimed that Mounir Mahjoubi, the former Secretary of State for Digital, was joining Amazon. Apple News and Google News highlighted this post because their algorithms do not detect parody content. In ten hours more than 50,000 people read this article and many fell for it.
To spot an April Fool’s joke today, it is necessary to keep good reflexes, like the rest of the year. Some recommendations may be useful: read the articles until the end, try to see if another reliable and recognized media is talking about the same information, and try to go back to the source of information if it seems doubtful to us.