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Scribe Says Bye to Cool Tabloid

Fell in love with 'parallel universe' of funny stories

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 25, 2007 5:13 PM CDT

(Newser) – Gone is the tabloid that claimed "February Sues for More Days" and "Hide-and-Seek Player Found After 34 Years," but what becomes of its writers? At least one is still missing his calling as an inventor of comedy-news. In Salon, Stan Sinberg recalls how he conceived tall tales for the Weekly World News for 3 years, a calling he considered higher than writing for the Enquirer or penning celebrity gossip.

As a fan, Stan imagined that WWN writers invented stories with a dartboard and sections like “Bigfoot” and “Aliens.” But after applying through an online ad, he fell in love with “a parallel universe in which literally anything could happen” – and found editors who took their comedy seriously. Now he wishes that the WWN had marketed itself to the hip Onion crowd and become “cool” to read instead of “weird.”

In this May 3, 2000 file photo, republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush displays a copy of the tabloid Weekly World News to reporters during a light moment aboard his campaign plane while leaving Austin, Texas. Weekly World News, the tabloid that for 28 years has chronicled sightings...
In this May 3, 2000 file photo, republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush displays a copy of the tabloid Weekly World News to reporters during a light moment aboard his campaign plane...   (Associated Press)
In this May 3, 2000 file photo, republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush displays a copy of the tabloid Weekly World News to reporters during a light moment aboard his campaign plane while leaving Austin, Texas. Weekly World News, the tabloid that for 28 years has chronicled sightings...
In this May 3, 2000 file photo, republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush displays a copy of the tabloid Weekly World News to reporters during a light moment aboard his campaign plane...   (Associated Press)
ilovethiscat
ilovethiscat   ((c) jon madison)
In this May 3, 2000 file photo, republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush displays a copy of the tabloid Weekly World News to reporters during a light moment aboard his campaign plane while leaving Austin, Texas. Weekly World News, the tabloid that for 28 years has chronicled sightings...
In this May 3, 2000 file photo, republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush displays a copy of the tabloid Weekly World News to reporters during a light moment aboard his campaign plane...   (Associated Press)
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