History Main / PhonyNewscast

* The "Weird Newscasters" game from ''WhoseLineIsItAnyway''.
* ''TheTwoRonnies'' started and ended their programme with one.
* ''{{Animalympics}}'', which was originally meant to air as a TV special, plays as Olympic coverage from channel ZOO, "the station that brings you the beast in sports."
* ''CountdownToLookingGlass'', a dramatization of the events leading up to a nuclear war, presented as breaking news broadcasts.

See also {{Mockumentary}}, a similar format in which a story is presented in fictional documentary form.

* The movie ''Film/RoboCop1987'' has a series of newscasts where horrible events are described during the news in an upbeat fashion, such as when a police officer is brutally gunned down. The reporter cheers on the cop, saying how he's rooting for the officer to live. [[Film/RoboCop 2 Its]] [[Film/RoboCop3 sequels]], several episodes of the [[Series/RoboCopTheSeries TV]] [[Series/RoboCopPrimeDirectives series]], and [[Film/RoboCop2014 and reboot]] also opened with a similar faux newscast.

* The movie ''Film/RoboCop1987'' has a series of newscasts where horrible events are described during the news in an upbeat fashion, such as when a police officer is brutally gunned down. The reporter cheers on the cop, saying how he's rooting for the officer to live. [[Film/RoboCop 2 Its]] [[Film/RoboCop3 seuqels]], several episodes of the [[Series/RoboCopTheSeries TV]] [[Series/RoboCopPrimeDirectives series]], and [[Film/RoboCop2014 and reboot]] also opened with a similar faux newscast.

* The movie ''Film/RoboCop1987'' has a series of newscasts where horrible events are described during the news in an upbeat fashion, such as when a police officer is brutally gunned down. The reporter cheers on the cop, saying how he's rooting for the officer to live.
** The later ''Series/{{RoboCop}}'' TV series also opened most episodes with a similar faux newscast.

* The DVD release of ''Film/IndependenceDay'' includes a faux newscast depicting how TV news reported on the arrival of the alien craft.

* {{Colossatron: Massive World Threat}} is a game that is presented as a news broadcast on theaforementioned Colossatron, complete with on-the-scene reporters and jagged static lines.

* ''Mercury Theatre On The Air'': The UrExample and TropeMaker for Phony Newscast is the October 30, 1938 broadcast, ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', an adaptation of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds the novel]], which depicted a series of news bulletins covering an alien invasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listen through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly listeners who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* ''Mercury Theatre On The Air'': The UrExample and TropeMaker for Phony Newscast is the October 30, 1938 broadcast, ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', an adaptation of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds the novel]], which depicted a series of news bulletins covering an alien invasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listen through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly viewers who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* ''Mercury Theatre On The Air'': The UrExample and TropeMaker for Phony Newscast is the October 30, 1938 broadcast, ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', an adaptation of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds the novel]], which depicted a series of news bulletins covering an alien invasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listen through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly, unsophisticated, uneducated viewers who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* The 1994 MadeForTVMovie ''Without Warning'' presented an AlienInvasion in newscast form, even making the titles part of a home-invasion drama which is interrupted by the news. The introduction to the film openly acknowledges Welles' ''War of the Worlds'' radio play as its inspiration.

* TheBBC often uses real news reporters for this.

** The BBC's infamous 1992 special ''Film/{{Ghostwatch}}'' was presented as a live documentary following BBC reporters investigating a poltergeist that eventually commandeers the BBC studio and possesses Michael Parkinson. Although the special was shot months in advance and the paranormal happenings were the result of special effects, many frightened viewers assumed the events depicted were true and a huge controversy ensued. It was subsequently banned from being transmitted again.

** The BBC's infamous 1992 special Film/''{{Ghostwatch}}'' was presented as a live documentary following BBC reporters investigating a poltergeist that eventually commandeers the BBC studio and possesses Michael Parkinson. Although the special was shot months in advance and the paranormal happenings were the result of special effects, many frightened viewers assumed the events depicted were true and a huge controversy ensued. It was subsequently banned from being transmitted again.

* ''Film/{{Ghostwatch}}'' (1992) -- A ghost story presented as a live TV broadcast. Caused much controversy, due to many people, again, not realizing it wasn't real. Even though the actor playing the ghost was credited.

* ''Oil Storm'', a 2005 mocumentary that aired on FX and Discovery, depicting a fictional oil crisis and what would happen as the result of the highly oil dependent United States facing a severe shortage. In the movie, a major hurricane destroys key oil infrastructure at Port Fourchon, Louisiana, percipitating a Murphy's Law series of events that snowball -- including a tanker collision in the narrow Port of Houston and terrorist attacks over the oil trade (including the destruction of the huge Ras Tanura oil refinery in Saudi Arabia). These events drive the price of oil to above $200 per barrel and gasoline to near $9 per gallon.[[note]]Which is, incidentally, about equivalent to 2013 prices in the UK.[[/note]] The mockumentary follows several people, including the owners of a mom-and-pop convenience store, a paramedic, stock market and oil analysts, government officials and others, and includes a substantial amount of human drama from the first events to the resolution -- through diplomatic skill, the United States winning a $16 billion/year oil deal with Russia, which helps replace the oil lost in the earlier events.

* ''Mercury Theatre On The Air'': The most famous episode was the October 30, 1938 broadcast, ''Radio/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', an adaptation of [[Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds the novel]], which depicted a series of news bulletins covering an alien invasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listen through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly, unsophisticated, uneducated viewers who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* ''Mercury Theatre On The Air'': The most famous episode was the October 30, 1938 broadcast, ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', which depicted a series of news bulletins covering an alien invasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that there was no commercial break until after the first act which consisted of the newscast; the second half was a standard play. Only those tuning in right at the start, or who listen through the commercial break, heard disclaimers that it was only a play. The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly, unsophisticated, uneducated viewers who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. Or who simply didn't keep listening to the rest of the play, and Welles' final remarks at the end reminding listeners it was just a story (reportedly made under duress as the network was well aware of what was happening during the broadcast). In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

The Phony Newscast has two particular uses. One is when a fictional program wants to appear to be an actual NewsBroadcast. The other is when a commercial for something is pretending to run a newscast related to the product. Creator/OrsonWelles did this on the radio (see below), but this trope is mostly used for television dramas.

* ''Mercury Theatre On The Air'': The most famous episode was the October 30, 1938 broadcast, ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'', which depicted a series of news bulletins covering an alien invasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that the ''Mercury Theatre'' ran without commercial breaks, with no disclaimers (until the end). The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly, unsophisticated, uneducated viewers who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* The MadeForTVMovie ''SpecialBulletin'' begins with what purports to be the opening of a daily lineup for a television network, and the first few seconds of a fictional game show, then cuts to what appears to be a news broadcast, where we eventually learn a group may have a nuclear weapon in a boat in Charleston harbor.

* The MadeForTVMovie ''Without Warning'' presented an AlienInvasion in newscast form, even making the titles part of a home-invasion drama which is interrupted by the news.

* The DVD for ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' includes fake newscasts. We see the ZombieApocalypse spread, and the anchor becomes more and more disheartened.

* ''{{Ghostwatch}}'' (1992) -- A ghost story presented as a live TV broadcast. Caused much controversy, due to many people, again, not realizing it wasn't real. Even though the actor playing the ghost was credited.

* The DVD for the 2004 ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake includes fake newscasts. We see the ZombieApocalypse spread, and the anchor becomes more and more disheartened.

** A rather odd example: In ''{{Blackadder}} The Third'', Vincent Hanna, who was then a BBC election correspondent, appeared as "[[IdenticalGrandson his own great-great-grandfather]]", reporting on the Dunny-on-the-Wold by-election for ''The Country Gentleman's Pig Fertilizer Gazette''. This was treated exactly as a TV broadcast, even though it was the 18th century. But [[AnachronismStew that's how Blackadder works]].

* The DVD for the 2004 ''Film/{{Dawn of the Dead|2004}}'' remake includes fake newscasts. We see the ZombieApocalypse spread, and the anchor becomes more and more disheartened.

* The DVD for the 2004 ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake includes fake newscasts. We see the ZombieApocalypse spread, and the anchor becomes more and more disheartened.

* ''Mercury Theatre On The Air'': The most famous episode was the October 30, 1938 broadcast, ''The War of the Worlds'', which depicted a series of news bulletins covering an alien invasion by Martians interrupting the program of a generic big band performance. Adding to the realism was that the ''Mercury Theatre'' ran without commercial breaks, with no disclaimers (until the end). The program was said to have created widespread panic from thousands of listeners who believed an actual invasion was occurring – mostly, unsophisticated, uneducated viewers who were unable to reason that the sequence of events, as dramatized, was happening a little too fast (20 minutes from "explosions on Mars" to the "end of the world") or read the radio listings in their local newspaper promoting "War of the Worlds" as that night's dramatization. In any case, "War of the Worlds" cemented Orson Wells' fame as a radio/movie/TV broadcaster, writer and producer.

* The movie ''Film/RoboCop1987'' has a series of newscasts where horrible events are described during the news in an upbeat fashion, such as when a police officer is brutally gunned down. The reporter cheers on the cop, saying how he's rooting for the officer to live.

* The DVD for the 2004 ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake includes fake newscasts. We see the ZombieApocalypse spread, and the anchor becomes more and more disheartened.

* The movie ''Film/{{RoboCop|1987}}'' has a series of newscasts where horrible events are described during the news in an upbeat fashion, such as when a police officer is brutally gunned down. The reporter cheers on the cop, saying how he's rooting for the officer to live.

* The DVD for the 2004 ''Film/{{Dawn of the Dead|2004}}'' remake includes fake newscasts. We see the ZombieApocalypse spread, and the anchor becomes more and more disheartened.