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Pot Noodle pizza and Liz Truss joining Nasa were among the best April fools this year

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 878 words · By Martin Belam
Corporate humor trends April Fools' Day pranks
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The media ecosystem may have changed since the BBC’s spaghetti harvest report in 1957 or the Guardian’s 1977 travel supplement about the island of San Serriffe, but April fool stories are still with us.

Claims checked 16
Techniques found 2
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left33%
Center34%
Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The media ecosystem may have changed since the BBC’s spaghetti harvest report in 1957 or the Guardian’s 1977 travel supplement about the island of San Serriffe, but April fool stories are still with us.

Why it matters

Indeed, if you picked up Wednesday’s edition of the Guardian, you may have been taken in by our report that evidence had been found of coffee being consumed in England a couple of centuries before the first known examples, thanks in part to an expert called…

Common ground

Other April fool highlights from the media include the Byline Times story that White House officials had confirmed Liz Truss, the former British prime minister, was to join Nasa at the behest of Donald Trump, in order, she said, to fight “the dark forces of…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Doubt: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/apr/01/pot-noodle-pizza-liz-truss-nasa-ap…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 85% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Doubt 90% confidence
Questioning the credibility of a source or claim without providing evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing doubt helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 16 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

help Insufficient Evidence 7
schedule Pending 6
verified Verified By Reference 3
help
Claim 1: “The Oxford Mail... a £3bn scheme to build a monorail in Oxford.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support the Oxford Mail's reported £3bn monorail scheme.
schedule
Claim 2: “Loop sent out an email offering a discount.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 3: “Zizzi says it is offering pizza with a candyfloss topping.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support Zizzi's candyfloss-topped pizza offering.
help
Claim 4: “The Scotsman reports that a medieval Scottish ferry found in Mull was abandoned during the ninth century.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support the Scotsman's report about the medieval ferry in Mull.
verified
Claim 5: “The Byline Times story that White House officials had confirmed Liz Truss, the former British prime minister, was to join Nasa at the behest of Donald Trump, in order, she said, to fight 'the dark forces of the deep space blob'.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support the claim about The Byline Times reporting Liz Truss's NASA involvement.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Niggers in the White House" is a poem first published in American newspapers in 1901. It was written in reaction to a White House dinner hosted on October 16, 1901 by President Theodore Roosevelt, wh…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niggers_in_the_White_House
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Times is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register, adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. The Times and its sister pap…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, S…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_Square
verified
Claim 6: “If you picked up Wednesday’s edition of the Guardian, you may have been taken in by our report that evidence had been found of coffee being consumed in England a couple of centuries before the first known examples, thanks in part to an expert called Macky Arto.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support the claim about The Guardian's 2023 coffee consumption report or expert Macky Arto.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food restaurant chain. As of 2024, it is the second-largest by number of locations in the world, behind the Chin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald's
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pape Matar Sarr (French pronunciation: [pap matɑʁ sɑʁ]; born 14 September 2002) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Sene…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pape_Matar_Sarr
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated along the Atlantic Ocean coast. It borders Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, Guinea to the sou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal
help
Claim 7: “Domino’s has suggested a new pizza will be available – the Pot Noodle stuffed crust.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support the claim about Domino's pizza delivery dispute.
help
Claim 8: “Dole has announced the Hawaiian pizza in a can.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support Dole's canned Hawaiian pizza announcement.
schedule
Claim 9: “Royal Albert Hall promises a looksmaxxing contest called the Frame Mogging Championships.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 10: “Asda has announced additional seats for adults being added to trolleys.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 11: “Rascals announced it was producing nappies that would sing your child to sleep.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 12: “Heinz and PerfectTed are claiming they are getting together to produce matcha-flavoured mayonnaise.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support the Heinz and PerfectTed matcha mayonnaise collaboration.
verified
Claim 13: “The media ecosystem may have changed since the BBC’s spaghetti harvest report in 1957 or the Guardian’s 1977 travel supplement about the island of San Serriffe, but April fool stories are still with us.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia's 'San Serriffe' entry directly confirms The Guardian's 1977 April Fools' Day hoax about the fictional island. This is an authoritative reference source.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In relief printing, a flong, also called a matrix or mat, is a temporary negative paper mould made from an impression in a forme of set type or other relief matter, such as printing blocks. A flong …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flong
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — By tradition, in some countries, April 1 or April Fools' Day is marked by practical jokes. Notable practical jokes have appeared on radio and TV stations, newspapers, web sites, and have even been don…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_April_Fools'_Day_jokes
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — San Serriffe is a fictional island nation invented for April Fools' Day 1977 by Britain's The Guardian newspaper. It was featured in a seven-page hoax supplement, published in the style of contemporar…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Serriffe
schedule
Claim 14: “Divine Chocolate says it is launching the world’s first chocolate bar infused with positive affirmations.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 15: “Gü that it is partnering with Dr Will’s sriracha hot sauce for a sriracha chocolate pudding.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in Wikipedia or other sources to support the Gü and Dr Will’s sriracha pudding partnership.
schedule
Claim 16: “Carmoola has announced an air freshener for cars that claims to diffuse protein.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.