During the Monday, January 29th, 1968 episode of Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In, the following fake news bulletin was flashed at the bottom of the screen:
Help! Help! I’m being held prisoner in the newsroom! [1]
Viewers in three cities promptly called the police to report that someone was being held hostage at their local NBC affiliates. Officers burst into station WICS-TV in Springfield Illinois, KCMT-TV in Alexandria, Minnesota and KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas [2]. According to an NBC spokesman no viewers called in to complain about that fake news bulletin although 35 called to complain about one that reported the upcoming marriage of a bishop and a nun, concluding with “This time it’s for keeps” [3].
Reporting on the unexpected turn of events, Broadcasting wrote that “[a]ccording to an NBC spokesman, it is ‘very unlikely’ that simulated news flashes will be used in entertainment programming again” [4].
Works Cited:
1 “Laugh Show Gag Fails to Amuse Police.” Chicago Tribune. 31 Jan. 1968: B17.
2 Ibid.
3 “N.B.C. Finds ‘News’ Jokes Stir Up Earnest Viewers.” New York Times. 31 Jan. 1968: 83.
4 “The News is Serious.” Broadcasting. 5 Feb. 1968: 54.
Related:
This is a great story. I hadn’t heard it before. I can only imagine people taking Laugh In seriously. The world was a much more trusting place back then.