Opinion: Fool me once…

Maybe you were taken in Sunday by our April Fool story – maybe not. Maybe you haven’t read it yet, but it’s okay now to spoil the ending, because an April Fool story is only supposed to last until noon on April 1. After that, it becomes just a funny story that we can chuckle over and tell ourselves that we’re far too smart to have ever been fooled by it.

Maybe you were one of the very few people who banged out “April Fool!” thoughtlessly in the comments on FaceBook or on the story itself, who had that comment removed until the afternoon because you were ruining the punchline for everyone else. Or maybe you’re one of the readers who saw through it but perpetuated it in the comments — thanks!

I hope you read the story, thought to yourself, “this doesn’t sound quite right,” then read it again and realized, “oooooohhh – it’s April 1.” Maybe you clicked on one of several links in the piece that admitted to the deception.

We ran a pretty good April Fool story last year, too, because we like to have fun at Canada Moto Guide. I was concerned then that it might be our last, because we’re now in a new time of journalists being accused of FAKE NEWS! whenever they report something the source doesn’t like. There’s so much unmonitored news that really is fake, created to support somebody’s agenda, that it can be tough to know what’s real and what is not. The only way to be sure is for a reputable news organization to earn your trust – the BBC, the New York Times, The Globe and Mail – and then to allow its system of editorial filters to present you with information you know has been rigorously challenged at every step. And if something erroneous does slip through, that organization must admit openly to the mistake and correct it immediately.

We operate a system of filters at Canada Moto Guide in which every story is carefully edited and questioned by somebody other than the writer to ensure accuracy and truth. We’re proud of this and it seems obvious, but too many publications these days just allow a first draft to make its way into publication; they’re either hurrying to be first, or they just can’t afford to pay for an extra pair of eyes. Usually it’s both.

So when we run an April Fool story that’s clearly just made up for effect, as we did this week, we know we have to do it properly or we risk ruining our reputation for trustworthy information. I hope you agree that our story was effective, thoughtful, almost believable, and gave you a chuckle.  As I said, we like to have fun at Canada Moto Guide and we don’t want to stop doing so, but the stakes are now higher than ever before.

But who knows? Maybe an aftermarket company will come out with custom sounds for your electric motorcycle after all, and we’ll all be vindicated. Don’t diss it – truth really is stranger than fiction.