When the news seemed depressing, Ted and Andrea Lemon took a logical step: they re-wrote the news.
The couple’s fake Google News page is an increasing Internet curiosity racking up attention from other sites like BoingBoing, Treehugger, Digg, and Whedonesque. It looks like an exact replica of the Google News homepage, but features news stories we can only hope will be real one day.
Headlines like “China Withdraws From Tibet, with Apologies” and the more playfully hilarious “Lucas authorizes fan reworkings of episodes 1-3” offer a glimpse at the type of world many of us would like to say we live in. True to the Google News style, each major headline features the opening paragraph of a well-conceived piece of journalism. Beneath “Big Three Unveil Emissions-Free Lineup,” a story from Forbes reads:
DETROIT - In a joint announcement, Ford, GM and Chrysler revealed that all new 2008 models will feature emissions-free engines, with a minimum EPA rating of 75 MPG. "We are pleased to put an end to Detroit's decades-long effort to stifle innovation and instead reclaim our role as a leader in automotive technology ...
Beneath the main sintroduction are links to follow-up stories featuring equally enjoyable headlines like “Toyota responds with saltwater engine” and “$200 saltwater retrofit for older vehicles?” The convincing look of the page can easily make viewers forget what they’re looking at, causing them to click on a link that directs them to a page sadly explaining, “Sorry this article hasn’t been written yet!”
As the content of the page suggests, Ted and Andrea are Buddhists, but have no desire to make others see the world the same way they do. They embrace the fact that reactions to their work are interestingly diverse. “Some people are inspired and uplifted by it, and others are terribly depressed by how far off it is from the actual headlines,” Andrea told WeEarth in an e-mail. “I don't have any answer for those people, unfortunately -- I only hope that things can improve faster than appearances would suggest.”
They hope by living the change they want to see in the world, it may serve as inspiration for others to make basic human kindness the norm, as well as the predominant theme of the news. Andrea jokes that her website may already have an influence. “So far my only success with the web page was that George Lucas was spotted with a "Han Shot First" t-shirt, and that DRM music downloads are on the way out :-)”
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