The $59K prank: Activists circulate fake, anti-Trump version of Washington Post in US capital

January 17, 2019

An activist group has circulated about 10,000 copies of a convincing fake version of The Washington Post, reporting falsely that US President Donald Trump is leaving office.

People were handing out the fake editions overnight at multiple locations across the US capital, the real Washington Post reported.

The fake versions look quite similar to the real paper but are dated May 1. They were accompanied by a website that also mimics the official Washington Post website.

The lead story in the fake edition was headlined "Unpresidented" and centred around Mr Trump leaving office after penning a resignation letter on a napkin, before leaving for Yalta - a Crimean resort where Allied leaders met during World War II.

The reason for Mr Trump's hasty departure, the fake article suggested, was large-scale women-led protest marches across the United States.

The website was taken down hours later. The real Washington Post reported the people behind the activity were a group called The Yes Men.

Jacques Servin, also known as Andy Bichlbaum, told the Post the papers cost about $NZ59,000 to print, and that they handed out about 10,000 of the 25,000 copies printed.

"The idea was a newspaper from the future and how we got there — like a roadmap for activists," Mr Servin said.

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