Maybe not the mainstream news_papers_ of today, but likely much of the news
No, weekly world news was always patently ridiculous.
They’re the ones that had all of the really crazy conspiracy theory stuff. Used to see them every week for sale at a place I worked. Best cover was the one of a bad photo edit of the heads of Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden over two guys going at it.
My favorite was “Ghost of Al Capone storms White House, issues list of demands.”
I met someone in undergrad, made decent money and really enjoyed themselves writing for Weekly World News, and they openly admitted they made up the stories, whole cloth, out of thin air as the saying goes.
No different in what is considered mainstream news today. Come up with an idea you want to push. Make it all up but being mindful of just how absurdly false you can make it without everyone saying it’s BS
You are mistaken, the difference being that the Weekly World News had no care whatsoever that they be taken seriously.
This paper has the eighth highest circulation in the whole wide world.
Heed! Paper! Now!
Based on the trajectory, in 20 years people will believe the weekly world news headlines of 20 years ago.
Woah now. Weekly World News was well-known by everyone as 100% laughable BS. Even people that think the moon landing was fake didn’t buy their stories.
Really, who would ever believe all the things Bat Boy supposedly did? Made Forrest Gump seem lazy.
I remember when I was 7 I wanted to read those stories. My mom never let me, and called it “fake trash”.
Yeah. I love fake trash. Thats why I love 80s/90s pro-wrestling. Macho Man Randy Savage was 5’10. Which in pro-wrestling world of the 1980s is essentially a midget. But he put on colorful tassles, and had an amazing wardrobe person. He became bigger than life. He was a total character. He fought in fake fights on tv, in a sport so deviated from its orgin material that it may as well not even be called pro-wrestling. It’s fake trash and I loved it!
Then I saw one of these magazines, and was like “Uhhhh, moon boy finds love on mars??? Yes please!”
But mom said no.
Then, years later when I was into my 30s, she asked why I thought pro-wrestling was real.
Uhhhhhhhh…I don’t. No one does. I was 7 and knew it was fake. I didn’t know how many of the performers were on cocaine, or how many drugs they were on…but I knew it was all a performance, and not a sport.
…I never did get to read those magazines.
And the WWN was the same, good ol’ entertainment.
There was an edition with Nixon in drag that was there worst Photoshop, it was clearly two photos pasted together. Hilarious! My mom thought it was the funniest thing she ever saw. But she never for a second thought it was real.
Oooooooh, depending on year, I bet that was just shortly after his death. Which is why his name would have been topical at the time.
