Several newspapers have been caught using articles from The Spoof writers to fill their paper. The articles include ridiculous quotes and crazy behavior. Sadly, the articles match reality so well that only writers from The Spoof actually noticed.
Some of the articles include politicians saying that Syrian rebels may not be our allies so we should stick with Assad, as if he is an ally. Another included politicians requesting a specially made path for illegals to become citizens, but asked for it not to be considered a "special" path. Most citizens, having read so many inconsistent statements from politicians, didn't even notice that the stories were satirical.
It's not just politicians. Even citizen quotes were caught in the scandal. A Boston paper published quotes from drivers caught texting including "I wasn't texting, I was using social media."
Editors at top newspapers around the country admitted they needed to fill space and, like their readers, didn't realize that the stories were not true. "Politicians say so many illogical statements that I can no longer tell reality from fiction," explains Anita Wright, Editor of International News at the Chicago Ledger.
Houston Sun sports editor Art F. Punner said "We've being doing it for years. Did you really think that coaches and teammates didn't know about steriod use and criminal activity? The quote 'he was a good teammate and seemed like a good guy' has been reused so many times."
After The Spoof writers began investigating, it was discovered that most of the weather predictions are from one of their own as well.
