Write about false news coverage of an important event.

Posted in Nonfiction on Nov 1, 2022

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✍️ 17 stories

“Energy Crisis 2023” by Katy B

Summer Bummer: Pyrotechnics delayed at 247th annual Fourth-of-Palooza July 3. Gregory Balkema, 28, lost his life this afternoon stunt-driving for South Haven’s most patriotic event of the year. Fourth-of-Palooza, which normally features two nights of fireworks, experimented this year with the addition of jet-propelled truck racing. Balkema drove his stunt truck “right into a fireball of gasoline, on purpose,” according to South Haven native Brendan Kowalski, 59. Kowalski added, “I gu...

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“Don't Kill Me With Kindness” by Graham Kinross

Hiding beneath the floor of my own home, I turn on my phone and see the smiling face of a murderous tyrant. His image shrinks to fit into the corner of the screen as the news begins. “Welcome to Freedom Press 24, your only twenty-four-hour news channel, bringing you the truth, all day, every day.” The president’s face still smiles in the corner of the screen. There were dozens of round-the-clock channe...

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“A Fiery Tale” by Chris Campbell

“They who control the narrative, control the way forward.” The Movement for Social Coercion “Camera Three, I need a close-up on the man with the horns,” demanded the Location Director from her mobile news van as she spoke through her headset. “That’s it! Get him in mid roar… beautiful! That’s our money shot.”Carol Vidmark intensely studied the six or so monitors all lit up in the back of her privately funded news van. Commanding a team...

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“Anatomy of a Conspiracy Theory” by Peggy Gerber

It was just supposed to be a joke. Well, I guess the joke’s on me because I am the one sitting in a jail cell waiting to be picked up for my arraignment. They’re keeping me in a holding cell, so it’s private, but the toilet is right out in the open and guards keep walking back and forth. I have a shy bladder and can’t pee if people are watching. I wonder if anyone has ever died from a burst bladder. I really want to goo...

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“Fake News” by Mark Nero

I don’t know… Sometimes, I think that the more society progresses, the further behind we actually retreat. We have so much information at our fingertips, and we have become dumber for it. Growing up in the seventies and eighties, I remember that if I needed to know something for school or whatever, I would refer to the Encyclopedia Britannica or a similar publication to get the answers… t...

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“Confession” by Tony Wells

I was hallucinating. That’s the only logical explanation for what I was seeing on the streets. Two dead bodies, one male and one female, laying in front of me, their throats slit and their eyes still wide open in fear. Where am I, anyway? My mind was a fuzzy mess of unclear thoughts and muddy memories, and it was so hard to sort through them. There was a gaping hole in it – I went to work....

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“When The Moon Fell Out Of The Sky” by Isa C

{content warning: language, mild gore}A hunter lies in the grass, by the name of Akintoye. She caresses the coarse wood of her bow under her finger tips, feeling the weapon like it was her own skin. She breathes in sync with the lionesses set on their haunches beside her. Fire gleams in her eye and swells in her chest. It is no prey she is stalking, but a man by the name of Kolapo. He bears a purple cloak made of soft velvet, expensive jewelry illuminates his neck. Akintoye knows the secret to his wealth, the slaughter of legendary...

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“Spring Break-Out” by Beth Cheatham

I read the words as big as life on the front page of my college magazine and sank back into my khaki green hammock: Spring Break-out Goes Paige Perfect.Oh God! No!It was anything but perfect. My roommate, Valerie, had left me with the chore of watching lab rats for the week while everyone else seemed to be on their way to Cancun for spring break. The job would be simple, she'd assured me, but she had lied."All you have to do is feed them a cube of "Magic.""What's 'Magic'?" I asked."It's a little...

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“Out of Print” by Cindy Strube

Out of PrintHe was an unobtrusive character, one you wouldn’t look at twice if you passed him in the street.Drab and mousy, outfitted in neutral tones, he was just a wisp of a fellow. You might describe him as shadowy, furtive, ephemeral. His tweed overcoat, an odd blend of tan and grey, lent him the illusion of bulk. Where its collar — turned up at the back of his neck against the wind — met the back of his moleskin cap, there was a suggestion o...

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“Comet Pizza” by Alyssa Reed

Mentions of drugs, kidnapping, sexual violence/trafficking Comet Pizza Word Count: 2218 “My sister’s name is Charlotte. She loves pizza, crop tops, and she has blonde hair. She’s out there somewhere, so please–if you see something, anything, please let us know. I just want my sister back.” ...

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“Earth Day” by Save Our Planet Earth

Year, 2070 I stared at the ceiling as I lay in bed. Dread and anxiety had my heart pounding against my chest. It was 7:00 am Monday morning and today was the day the truth would finally come out. “What are the people going to say now? Now that proof of our worst fears is overwhelmingly evident. Will they finally demand action? Will there be war over which solutions to implement? Hell, with how bad things got why ...

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“The Man Who Would be President...Again” by Larry Kerr

"What the hell's going on this morning?" asked Jerry Bland. "Don't they know who they are delaying?" Paul Butler looked up from his cell phone and noticed the big car he and his boss occupied had stopped. He could not see exactly what was going on, but hoped it would be quickly resolved. Jerry Bland had little patience and Butler did not feel like listening to his whining complaints this morning. They ha...

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“The Orpheum” by Maxwell MacDonald

(story contains salty language) Perfunctory meals. Astronaut food. Bright lights. Loud music. Tables jammed together so close the neighboring conversations sat in the back of their throats.“Why do we torture ourselves?” Davis asked.“Well, what do you want to do?” Kate replied.“Let’s head to the Orpheum.”“Now? I thought Drew said not to until later.”“Drew says a lot of shit.”“Well, this seemed important.”“Yeah, it is. It is. But t...

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“A Mystery Best Left Unsolved” by Ethan Baggett

Wreck of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Discovered "Shall we try and pursue the parties responsible for this? I can't even say that we truly desire to do so given what we now know." -- Anonymous Aeronautical Expert August 14, 2026. 9:30 PM EST. Updated: November 1, 2026. 3:19 EST....

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“No Fear” by Lorilyn Roberts

The cemetery beckoned Deborah’s mother every year about this time, but Deborah didn’t know why. She suspected, but her mother wouldn’t tell her.“It’s enough that you know your nanny rests in peace here,” is all she would say, “until the right time comes to tell you.”Deborah reminisced. Her beloved grandmother was so intelligent, so beautiful, and so kind. She wouldn’t have hurt a fly.The weather was cold even in the noonday sun, and Deborah wondered why they couldn’t come to the cemetery in the summer when it was warm...

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Write about false news coverage of an important event.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 17 stories

“Energy Crisis 2023” by Katy B

“Don't Kill Me With Kindness” by Graham Kinross

“A Fiery Tale” by Chris Campbell

“Anatomy of a Conspiracy Theory” by Peggy Gerber

“Fake News” by Mark Nero

“Confession” by Tony Wells

“When The Moon Fell Out Of The Sky” by Isa C

“Spring Break-Out” by Beth Cheatham

“Out of Print” by Cindy Strube

“Comet Pizza” by Alyssa Reed

“Earth Day” by Save Our Planet Earth

“The Man Who Would be President...Again” by Larry Kerr

“The Orpheum” by Maxwell MacDonald

“A Mystery Best Left Unsolved” by Ethan Baggett

“No Fear” by Lorilyn Roberts

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about two characters arguing over how a past event happened.

Write a story where a character is experiencing parallel realities.

Start your story with a character or a narrator saying, “Don’t you remember?”

Write a story about a pathological liar.

Contest #156

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

217

Contest entries

95

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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