New York Times Special Edition
Newspaper Blankets U.S. Cities, Proclaims End To War
November 12, 2008
For Immediate Release
The Yes Men
SPECIAL TIMES EDITION BLANKETS U.S. CITIES, PROCLAIMS END TO WAR
* PDF: http://www.nytimes-se.com/pdf
* For video updates: http://www.nytimes-se.com/video
* Contact: mailto:writers@nytimes-se.com
Early this morning, commuters nationwide were delighted to find out that while they were sleeping, the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan had come to an end.
If, that is, they happened to read a "special edition" of today's New York Times.
In an elaborate operation six months in the planning, 1.2 million papers were printed at six different presses and
driven to prearranged pickup locations, where thousands of volunteers stood ready to pass them out on the street.
Articles in the paper announce dozens of new initiatives including the establishment of national health care, the
abolition of corporate lobbying, a maximum wage for C.E.O.s, and, of course, the end of the war.
The paper, an exact replica of The New York Times, includes International, National, New York, and Business sections, as
well as editorials, corrections, and a number of advertisements, including a recall notice for all cars that run on
gasoline. There is also a timeline describing the gains brought about by eight months of progressive support and
pressure, culminating in President Obama's "Yes we REALLY can" speech. (The paper is post-dated July 4, 2009.)
"It's all about how at this point, we need to push harder than ever," said Bertha Suttner, one of the newspaper's
writers. "We've got to make sure Obama and all the other Democrats do what we elected them to do. After eight, or maybe
twenty-eight years of hell, we need to start imagining heaven."
Not all readers reacted favorably. "The thing I disagree with is how they did it," said Stuart Carlyle, who received a
paper in Grand Central Station while commuting to his Wall Street brokerage. "I'm all for freedom of speech, but they
should have started their own paper."
ENDS