West Hollywood, California (Thursday, October 23, 2008) - It sure sounded like a news article. 
Steve Young, an author and political blogger, published a piece entitled “West Hollywood Considers Ban On Sarah Palin Drag Queens: McCain Campaign Calls Ban Anti-American Attempt to ‘Squash Republican Vote.’” WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
On Tuesday, hours after the previous night’s council meeting, a blogger posted what he later called a satire on the Huffington Post that read exactly like a straight news story claiming that the West Hollywood City Council considered a ban on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin costumes at this year’s West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval Celebration.
The article raised howls of complaint from the City and Mayor Jeff Prang, who was falsely quoted in the piece.
Steve Young, an author and political blogger, published a piece entitled “West Hollywood Considers Ban On Sarah Palin Drag Queens: McCain Campaign Calls Ban Anti-American Attempt to ‘Squash Republican Vote.’”
The article read as Associated Press copy, except for a few over the top comments.
Any tip that the item was satire flew past readers in City Hall, who tracked down and contacted Mr. Young within hours of the post’s publication at about 7:30am.
Mr. Young did not reply to WeHo News’ requests for an interview.
Photo by WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
The article’s timing could not have been better, as the next day retailers and costumers reported that Sarah Palin costumes ranked number one across the nation.
WeHo News got a tip that a Sarah Palin already hung in effigy on Fountain Avenue at Orange Grove.
In the article, he wrote, “In what should send female impersonators and gender benders falling off their 4" heels and back to the costume drawing board for this coming October 31 dress fests, city officials in West Hollywood, CA are considering a last minute ban on gay parade and party goers posing as Republican vice presidential candidate, Sarah Palin.”
In the next paragraph he falsely attributed the following to Mayor Prang.
"It's not that we're against dressing up as Sarah.
"It's just so tacky. It's just that it's like impersonating Marilyn. There's no challenge. Bangs, heavy rouge to build those high cheek bones and those awful glasses. Voila...you're Sarah.
“We expect our residents to lead the way, not come up with something every drunk notary in Toledo will be wearing."
This effigy of Sarah Palin hangs from a roof facing Fountain under a fuming John McCain. Photo by WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
Hardly Mayoral in its tenor and quite un-Prang-like, but within the realm of possibility: he is genuinely funny when he cuts loose.As the item continued, it claimed that “the McCain campaign calls the West Hollywood ban an obvious attempt to squash the Republican vote in California.
“‘You're not hearing them banning Joe Biden drag queens,’ said Palin spokesman, Tucker Bounds. ‘Pro-American Halloweeners would never think of banning candidate look-alikes. It’s clear that these guys are in bed with Obama.’”
Mr. Bounds made no comment on how he felt about being falsely quoted, but Mayor Prang wrote a terse comment to the blog.
"While these may be amusing, satirical comments about an alleged West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval Sarah Palin Drag Ban, they are not mine, nor were they authorized by me," he wrote.
That prompted a disclaimer by Mr. Young, which appeared within minutes of Mayor Prang’s 1:31 pm post.
Photo by WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTE: THE MAYOR JEFFREY PRANG MENTIONED IN THIS LOVELY LITTLE PIECE IS NOT THE ACTUAL MAYOR JEFFREY PRANG, WHO HAS FAR MORE SENSE THAN PARTICIPATE IN THIS FOOLISHNESS. SATIRICAL OR NOT. Steve
The City of West Hollywood, too, felt compelled to respond immediately and forcefully; they contacted Mr. Young and made their displeasure at the incident known.
According to Helen Goss, West Hollywood Communications Director, the false story, if not generally known to be satire, could have had unwanted repercussions.
Telling WeHo news around 2 pm that the exposure the piece got had been “real limited right now, but we’re monitoring the blogs,” she said the City had prepared a denial of the story for Mr. Young.
Ms. Goss said, “So far we responded directly to Steve, and now that you know, we’ll send it over to you.
“If it reaches a tipping point in two or three weeks, we’ll send it out in broader distribution,” she said. The statement follows:
Photo by WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
The City of West Hollywood has denied it is considering a ban on Halloween revelers wearing costumes impersonating Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin at its infamous annual Halloween Carnaval. Earlier today, blogger Steve Young posted a purely fictional article on his blog steveyoungonpolitics.com stating that the ban would take place and that the “McCain campaign calls the ban anti-American and an attempt to squash the Republican vote.”
"While these may be amusing, satirical comments about an alleged West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval Sarah Palin Drag Ban, they are not mine, nor were they authorized by me," said West Hollywood Mayor Jeffrey Prang who was falsely quoted in the article.
"Political satire and First Amendment expression is one of the most important aspects of our world-famous Halloween celebration. It’s also the most-anticipated comical highlights of the renowned event.
“The City of West Hollywood would never attempt to regulate our Halloween party-goers’ creative expression nor their fun!” said Helen Goss, the City’s Public Information Director.
Photo by WeHo News - West Hollywood’s ONLY Newspaper, ONLY ONLINE! |
The 2008 West Hollywood Costume Carnaval will be held on Friday, October 31, 2008 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.
Comedienne Chelsea Handler star of the E! show Chelsea Lately will be crowned “Queen of the Carnaval” along with her assistant Chuy who will be crowned “Little King of the Carnaval.”
For more information about the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, please call (323) 848-6503 visit www.weho.org/halloween
That note got a rapid response from Mr. Young; the following morning he was back online posting an abject apology.
“Look at me. My head is kind of bowed as I write this. Hard to make eye-contact with you,” he wrote. “Shamed, as it were…or was.”
He misjudged the item’s satirical worth, admitting that, “in my rush to get the story out to the masses, I inadvertently forgot to make clear it was a joke...[and] some in the media, as well as civilians…took my piece seriously and inundated the web as well as West Hollywood City Hall with questions pertaining to the ‘ban.’”
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