While most readers were able to spot the myriad April Fool stories littered throughout the regional press, one outraged football supporter clearly didn’t see the funny side.
Sheffield daily The Star ran a story claiming that Sheffield Wednesday would be forced to play matches at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane stadium next season due to their own stadium at Hillsborough being repaired.
Incensed reader Lee Hicklin took to The Star’s Facebook page to claim there was “no way this will happen” and accuse the newspaper of “poor journalism”.
Despite several fellow readers reminding him of the date, the penny refused to drop for Lee – as can be seen in the following exchange posted on Twitter by Dave Jones, political columnist at The Star’s sister weekly the Sheffield Telegraph.
The Star later revealed the hoax, with a statement on its website adding the story had caused debate among both sets of fans as to what they would thing if a ground share should ever come to fruition.
It read: “Okay, we had a little bit of fun this morning with our story about Sheffield Wednesday temporarily moving to city rivals, United’s Bramall Lane home while their pitch is being fixed up.
“However, though it was a joke, the article did cause some debate on social media and football forums about what fans would think if it were to become a reality.”
After the exchange, Lee tweeted Dave to admit his posts had “backfired”.
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I like newspapers to be fun and have a character but April Fools stories always leave me a bit uneasy. Yes they are usually harmless but some people, like the reader above, sometimes take them as the truth. When you are supposed to be a trustworthy brand, why spoil that by publishing a lie for one day a year? The papers I worked at during my 15-year career never ran an April Fool and I’m glad they took that stance.
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‘The papers I worked at during my 15-year career never ran an April Fool and I’m glad they took that stance.’ Pooter has risen from the grave and living in Hampshire, methinks.
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Yes Paul, let’s all forget about having a bit of fun on a day traditionally associated with pranks, just in case – shock, horror! – one reader out of many, many thousands can’t see the joke. We must protect those sensitive mites at all costs! Hmmm, do you *really* advocate dogs being wagged by their tails?
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Thank goodness we are not all like Mr. Hampshire.
What a dull place this world would be if we were.
I remember years ago this same newspaper ran a very occassional spoof paper called ‘The Stare and Moaning Telegram’. It was an absolute hoot.
Well done guys.
Much appreciated by the majority.
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Maybe the jokes on us?
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Paul in Hampshire has a point. I always thought April Fool stories should have elements of ingenuity, wit and a (thin) veneer of credibility. A good example from the past would include, I suggest, the special pull-out on the island of Sans Serif from, I think, The Guardian, aimed at potential investors, tourists and tax exiles. I recall taking it into the travel agency which shared our newspaper building asking for a package deal. Alas, with a story call-out, it slipped my mind to tell them it was a hoax.
Unfortunately, stories about football clubs sharing grounds possess none of the above qualities, IMHO.
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Many years ago, as sports editor of the Sunderland Echo, I wrote an April Fool story about Sunderland and Newcastle entering into a ground-share scheme. The editor pulled it – probably rightly – for fear of causing upset.
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