Why we’re so cautious about April Fools’ Day

If you stopped by NarniaWeb yesterday hoping for an April Fools’ chuckle, sorry to disappoint. There are a few reasons we do not post a joke article every single year… but one is a memory that still looms large for long-time NarniaWebbers every April 1.

Perhaps most importantly, one of NarniaWeb’s stated goals is to “distinguish between fact and rumor.” We take accuracy very seriously and want NarniaWeb to be a source you can trust in a world where misinformation spreads so easily. That does not mean we are above April Fools’ jokes, but we are inclined to tread carefully.

Another reason goes all the way back to 2006 when The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was still in pre-production. On April 1, NarniaWebbers got a good laugh out of a farcical post. But two years later, the prophecy was fulfilled. (See above video)

Since then, we have generally taken April Fools’ Day in directions that are either less news-oriented or even more absurd. In 2013, we posted a podcast episode in which we pretended to loathe The Voyage of the Dawn Treader book. A few years later, we created a fake trailer for Narnia & Zombies.

So, while we want NarniaWeb to a community where laughter is encouraged, we must remember the words of President Abraham Lincoln: “You can’t believe everything you read on the internet.” Words to live by indeed.

Glumpuddle