FactCheck has come across many a spurious claim, and we pity the fools out there. But are we one of them? Here’s our pick of today’s April Fools.
Claim 1: Labour memo calls for ‘Ed to Wed’ street party
“Labour party members have been urged to celebrate the forthcoming wedding of Ed Miliband and Justine Thornton with street parties, trifles and bunting, according to a secret memo seen by The Daily Telegraph.”
The Daily Telegraph, April 1, 2011
FactCheck checks it out:
Potential Prime Ministers don’t tend to join rallies, demonstrations, marches – or heaven forbid throw street parties.
But, last Saturday Ed Miliband proved us all wrong taking to the streets with gusto to join an anti-cuts demo.
The move was ill-received. Daily Telegraph commentators noted the “spectacular misjudgement” the Labour leader made – invoking shades of the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements in his speech.
The leaking of a secret Labour memo today then, FactCheck thought could have been a desperate bid from the party to re-establish Mr Miliband’s Street Cred.
Sadly, on contacting Labour HQ for confirmation, FactCheck was hugely surprised to discover that their press officers hadn’t read The Daily Telegraph and therefore had no knowledge of the leak.
As for that secret memo? The idea of a street party for their dear leader was laughed off. Put that bunting away.
Claim 2: Kate Middleton caught out
“Doing a bit of forward planning, Kate? Princess-in-waiting eyes up baby clothes…Bride-to-be spotted smoking a cigarette while celebrating her hen do”
The Daily Mail, April 1, 2011
FactCheck checks it out:
Loyal readers regularly inform FactCheck that the Royal Wedding “is not news”. While we tend to write fewer stories on the wedding than The Daily Mail, it is a truth universally acknowledged that an article on the Royal Wedding often attracts far more ‘clicks’ online than an in depth report on Libya.
Yesterday our story on Libya’s “Master of Terror” defecting to Britain for example, prompted just one comment on C4 News’ Facebook page – from fan Erika Ebi Ujszaszi – that read: “Any good news?”.
So here we are with the potentially good news that Miss Middleton may be with child, and FactCheck’s investigator is in virgin territory.
Our hotline to the Commons is rendered useless.
FactCheck was forced to make a rare phone call to Clarence House. Is Kate pregnant? Does she smoke? Is she a pregnant smoker?
“We have no response at all,” a Clarence House spokeswoman told FactCheck. We note the lack of denial.
Claim 3: Magic of the Monarchy
“It is time to put away the cynicism and pledge our full-throated support (for the Royal Wedding)… We will be recalling correspondents from some less newsworthy parts of the globe, such as north Africa and south-east Asia, so they can focus on palace matters instead.”
The Guardian, leader, April 1, 2011
FactCheck checks it out:
Similarly to Channel 4 News, The Guardian has far too many correspondents dillydallying across the globe.
Take our international editor Lindsey Hilsum – she has been prevented from covering the wedding due to a prolonged stint in the Middle East. And with four weeks to go until the Big Day, the heat is on.
The Americans meanwhile, have got the right idea. CNN, according to the Wall Street Journal, is sending 400 reporters, cameramen and crew to cover the wedding.
Channels including E!, TLC and NBC have scheduled hours of dedicated programming.
The president of American network WE tv (FactCheck doesn’t know either) told The Daily Mail that it has allocated 109 hours of viewing to the wedding. “On a scale of one to 10 in big TV events, this is a 10 plus, plus,” president Kim Martin said.
The engagement was one of the most read and e-mailed stories on the high-brow New York Times website. The NY Times even opened an online forum for readers to discuss whether a “Royal couple could be a modern family”.
Perhaps then, The Guardian really is taking it seriously?
Alas no. FactCheck has spotted that The Guardian’s tasteful photo of William and Kate is adorned with the Latin line: “Sis tranquillus est iocum”.
FactCheck roughly translates this as: “We’re having a quiet joke”.
By Emma Thelwell
