About that April Fool's story

The calls started coming in not long after our Wednesday edition hit the streets.
We got calls. Lots and lots and lots of calls. I think I may owe the ladies at the front desk a present or two.
We even received a couple of letters to the editor.
Those letter writers — and some of the callers — were mad as hell and vowed to never pay a toll to cross a Kamloops bridge.
Most of those callers then paused and laughed out loud when told our page A3 article on April 1, the story about the city deciding to toll the Overlanders and Halston bridges, was indeed an April Fool’s Day hoax.
And the calls kept coming.
Lots of readers guessed the story was a joke and said they loved it.
It made their day. It lightened their load. It was believable enough to make them think it could be a real news story.
On the other hand, lots of other readers guessed the story was a joke and said they hated it. It created unnecessary stress among those who have to use the bridge. It had no place in a newspaper.
One caller even questioned why we would mock global warming, referring to the fact we predicated the implementation of the tolls on the cost to the city of the provincial carbon tax.
For the record, we were not making light of climate change; we were mocking the carbon tax, an unnecessary tax that will cost all of us more without doing anything to mitigate what it purports to fight.
By the end of Wednesday, the considerable number of calls had broke down to about 70 per cent in favour of the prank and 30 per cent opposed.
Of course, the intent of an April Fool’s news story is to fool the reader into believing the article is real, and to keep that reader believing it is true for as long as possible.
But good April Fool’s Day newspaper pranks should have an element within them to allow the reader the opportunity to discern the hoax.
In our story, there were three subtle clues and one huge hint.
The first letter of each paragraph spelled it out and, if one was to scan the article and zoom in on those first letters, they would see it reads:
A-P-R-I-L-F-O-O-L-S-D-A-Y.
Granted, that’s a bit under the radar (even with the fact we shaded those letters ever so slightly so they were 25 per cent lighter than the rest of the body copy).
There was the name of the spokesman attached to the fictional environment group. His name is Sidd Finch — which happens to be the moniker attached to the character in the best sports story hoax of all time, the legendary 1985 Sports Illustrated article by George Plimpton about a pitcher who threw 168 m.p.h fastballs.
Then there was the final quote attributed to City of Kamloops CAO Randy Diehl (Diehl granted permission to use his name in the spoof, though “his” words were ours), in which he noted “the real reason can be found in the paragraphs of the story.”
Finally, we decided to get a bit mischievous and include our competition, the Kamloops Daily News, in the prank by listing their newsroom phone number as the hotline for information on the bridge tolling decision.
A bit below the belt? Perhaps.
But we trust our colleagues have a good sense of humour and are now plotting their revenge for next year.
Many callers who did not like our prank pointed to the tough economic times as reason enough not to pull such hoaxes.
On the contrary.
With gloomy economic news permeating our life — and we are in the newspaper business, the virtual eye of this maelstrom — we need a laugh, we need to be fooled, we need to have our anger rise, only to be tempered by the realization we have been had.
As one caller said, “it’s good for the soul.”
And we were hardly alone.
Media pranks on April 1 are an industry staple.
Radio NL pulled off a masterful prank as its morning show convinced many that surfing non-Canadian websites will soon cost money.
Country 103 recruited Coun. Tina Lange to help with a hoax involving farm animals in the city.
Even our competition did a piece on Mayor Peter Milobar buying a plane at taxpayer expense.
Our story, all the stories, were done in good fun and should have brought smiles to many faces in these bleak times.
Those who cannot turn that frown upside down may need to get their funny bone X-rayed.

THE APRIL'S FOOL STORY:
By Christopher Foulds
KTW editor
editor@kamloopsthisweek.com
At the end of this month, Kamloops commuters will have to pay to cross the Thompson River in their vehicles as toll booths are introduced on the Overlanders and Halston bridges.
Pointing to the provincial carbon tax and its heavier-than-expected effect on the City of Kamloops’ 2009-2010 budgeting process, city officials held an extraordinary meeting yesterday, pursuant to section 315.3 of the Local Government Act.
Realizing the net effect of the carbon tax would push property-tax increases to the double-digits, the city has decided instead to install toll booths on two of the city’s busiest crossings to mitigate the fiscal burden. Effective April 30, drivers will pay $1 to cross each bridge in both directions, with an additional 25 cents being charged for every passenger in a vehicle. The total charged will not exceed the number of seatbelts in a car, truck or van.
In opting for tolls on the two bridges, city officials point out the expected reduction in vehicular traffic will result in carbon credits from Victoria, which will help offset carbon tax penalties the city is now facing.
“Look, we know this may be unpopular for those who drive across these bridges on a daily basis, but we have an obligation to our taxpayers and to the environment,” City of Kamloops CAO Randy Diehl told KTW.
“Fortunately, we will be offering alternatives to the tolls, which will include a dedicated lane on each bridge for cyclists and pedestrians.”
Officials say the decision to eliminate one lane on each bridge for vehicles and reserve it for cyclists and pedestrians will see the city realize bonus carbon-credits from the provincial government, which will further reduce Kamloops’ total carbon-tax bill for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
On that note, city crews will begin tomorrow to construct large parking lots at the west end of Riverside Park and at the east end of Halston Bridge to accommodate those drivers who wish to park their vehicles and cross the bridges on foot or on two wheels.
Leaving vehicles in the new parking lots — to be dubbed “carbon-catching lots” — will cost $1 per day, which is a bargain, according to the Kamloops Coalition for a Pavement-Free City.
“Say what you will about this being another tax,” group spokesman Sidd Finch said. “It isn’t. It’s all about spending peanuts to save Mother Earth. Besides, a buck a day is nothing compared to what it takes to operate a car every day when fuel, insurance and maintenance are factored in.”
Details of the introduction of the toll booths and the payment-recovery method are expected to be released in the coming days. In addition, Kamloops Transit, bike shops and carpool groups are bracing for an increase in service.
“At the end of the day, we have to do what we can to address global warming and to protect our taxpayers from unexpected tax increases due to measures such as the carbon tax,” said Diehl.
“Yes, we are aware there may be some backlash, but we are confident Kamloopsians are progressive enough in their thinking to embrace a minor inconvenience and a paltry hit on the wallet for the greater good. And the real lesson in all of this can be found in the paragraphs of this very story.”