Bin April Fool gags to avoid doubt creeping into local journalism, editor urges

We’ve all hear the complaints that local newspapers write about Wetherspoon’s pubs too much.

But when journalists on the Isle of Man reported that the island was about to get its first branch of the famous pub chain, readers were quick to come up with a different complaint — that it was an April Fool.

It wasn’t — and the new pub, long hoped for by many on the Isle of Man, will open later this year, Isle of Man Today reported.

But the reaction has prompted Dion Jones, editor of Media Isle Of Man’s titles, to question whether it is time for newsrooms to ditch April Fool’s Day.

He said: “We were the first brand to share the news that J D Wetherspoon is opening its first pub on the Isle of Man.

“It was confirmed, double-checked, and, frankly, a solid scoop. Yet, almost immediately, many readers assumed it was an early April Fools’ joke.

“I suspect it also raised a few eyebrows among our media competitors on the island, who ran coverage of the speculation while desperately trying to avoid crediting us as the source.

“We published it on March 31, just a day before April 1. Add to that the fact that ‘Spoons opening on the island has long been the subject of speculation, and you have all the ingredients of a story people were primed to dismiss. But behind the scenes, this was treated like any other piece.”

In a LinkedIn post, Dion explained the process the team went through before publishing the story, including Verifing it through Wetherspoon’s long-standing spokesperson, seeking additional confirmation from another well-placed source and even choosing to publish before April 1 to avoid any risk of it being mistaken for a prank.

Dion added: “We also explained our process in a well-timed follow up. This step was not the norm, but the situation called for it.

“Despite that, the disbelief spread faster than the news itself. And I get it — we live in an age of misinformation, spin, and, let’s face it, too many newsroom April Fools’ pranks.

“It’s no wonder audiences are cautious. But for me, this situation reinforced something I strongly believe in: trust in journalism is fragile and it must be improved and protected.

“That’s why, personally, I’m no fan of April Fools’ stunts in news. When even real stories can get labelled as “fake news”, why would we ever risk adding to that problem?

“For those of us working in local journalism, trust is everything. We don’t always get it right, but we approach every story with the same intention — verify it, check it again, and report it as clearly and fairly as possible.

“This story was a reminder of how easily doubt can creep in, but also how important it is to keep doing the basics right: accuracy, transparency, and honesty — even when the story seems too good or too strange to be true.”

Scott Wood, managing director of Tindle Newspapers, said the coverage showed the strength of community-based reporting.

“We have a strong tradition of breaking exclusive news stories because of our close ties to the areas so we serve, so it is great to see the Isle of Man team generate such interest around a UK chain’s arrival,” he said.

“We understand that readers scrutinise the news they read but the quality of the reporting around this story, which overlapped with April 1, demonstrates the thorough approach we take to check our facts and get each story right to maintain the hard earned trust of the local community built up over many generations.”