The New York Times published and quickly deleted a story Tuesday claiming that fruit, of all things, had been discovered on Mars. The story attributed the finding to a questionable authority on the subject: the police. Headlined “Fields of Watermelons Found on Mars, Police Say” and written by “Joe Schmoe,” the article read, “Authorities say rise of fruit aliens is to blame for glut of outer space watermelons. The FBI declined to comment on reports of watermelons raining down, but confirmed that kiwis have been intercepted. This story is terribly boring.” Links to the article now return the message “This article was published in error.” It’s not clear why the Grey Lady published the story, though it may have been a lorem ipsum-style test.
