麻豆传媒映画

Here鈥檚 a story you didn鈥檛 read in the Times Colonist: Premier John Horgan has announced construction of a 43-kilometre bridge from the mainland.

A map shows it spanning the strait from Stanley Park to Gabriola Island, a short distance from Nanaimo. Unfortunately, a shortfall in revenue from B.C.鈥檚 new speculation tax means there won鈥檛 be enough money to build the connecting bridge from Gabriola to 麻豆传媒映画Island, so drivers will have to continue to rely on the existing small ferry for that leg of the trip. Ferry users can expect delays of three to four days.

That last line should have been a clue, even to the clueless. The story was a fake. So is everything else on .

It鈥檚 a parody site, and a damn good one, cheerfully satirizing the news in the same way as Rick Mercer, 22聽Minutes, and the Weekend Update duo on Saturday Night Live.

Not that that stopped readers from bursting into flames after stumbling across the bridge story 鈥� or at least its headline and first sentence.

That鈥檚 all the information people needed before taking the article seriously and responding with scorching social media posts 鈥� which, say those behind nanaimobeacon.com, emphasizes the reason for launching the site in February.

Their goal, they say, is to improve media literacy on 麻豆传媒映画Island, to get people to think critically about what they read online. Also, they figured Nanaimo, after four years of bat-crap craziness in city hall (I鈥檓 paraphrasing here) could use a good laugh. Also, they said, they were bored.

Now, when I say 鈥渢hey鈥� I could be referring to 鈥渉e鈥� or 鈥渟he鈥� or any combination thereof. Maybe it鈥檚 a guy in his mother鈥檚 basement. Maybe it鈥檚 the mother. The聽creator(s) of Nanaimo Beacon want(s) to be anonymous, would communicate only by email. All聽they will reveal is they鈥檙e not in it for the money, because there is none; the only advertising on the site will be given away free to local non-profits.

They鈥檙e having fun, though, coming up with stories like the one in which Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog channels his inner Trump in proposing to wall off the city鈥檚 grittier south end. (鈥淲hen South Nanaimo sends its people, they鈥檙e not sending their best 鈥� 鈥�)

Or this one: 鈥淏.C. Liberal Party Leader Andrew Wilkinson says he now regrets a 鈥榩oor choice of words鈥� when he said in the legislature last week that doing methamphetamine was 鈥榓 groovy way to spend a weekend鈥� and that people who use the drug are 鈥榮o woke.鈥� 鈥�

Or this headline: 鈥淔ederal government changes Nanaimo Bar recipe to align with new health guidelines.鈥� The new ingredients include raw kale, brown rice, unflavoured gelatin and gluten-free tofu.

It鈥檚 all obvious parody, satire in the fine Canadian tradition that runs from Stephen Leacock to Mordecai Richler and through the likes of Nanaimo鈥檚 Susan Juby, Victoria鈥檚 Ian Ferguson and North Saanich鈥檚 M.A.C. Farrant.

It鈥檚 a form of humour that uses hyperbole and the absurd to mine the gap between life as it is presented and life as it really is. It reminds us that the world isn鈥檛 as rosy as we are told and, conversely, that things aren鈥檛 as terrible as some people want you to believe.

Sometimes there鈥檚 more truth in satire than in bloodless reportage. Hands up if Mercer gave you a better understanding of Canadian politics than did The聽National. After reading Fear聽and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 鈥�72, Hunter S. Thompson鈥檚 gonzo-journalism account of Democratic candidate George McGovern鈥檚 ill-fated run for U.S.聽presidency, McGovern鈥檚 campaign manager declared the book 鈥渢he least factual, most accurate鈥� account of the race.

Of course, as in the case of the bridge story, you have to actually read it to understand it.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really quite shocking how many people just comment on an article they see on Facebook without even bothering to read the article,鈥� emailed the Nanaimo Beacon creator(s).

鈥淭his kind of laziness has significant impact on things like elections and people鈥檚 attitudes toward social issues. If Nanaimo is going to develop into the city it deserves to be, we have to start with rational discourse. And we can鈥檛 even get there if people aren鈥檛 going to take the time to read and consider articles before vomiting uninformed opinions on social media.鈥�

That鈥檚 not funny at all.