Who doesn't love a little April Fool's Day fun?
Apparently, not Google News. The algorithmic aggregator of the web's top breaking headlines confused a spoof story for a serious one on Sunday morning, slating it in the page-view-driving top spot.
[More from Mashable: Google April Fools Roundup: Google Releases Flurry of Crazy New Apps [VIDEO]]
Business magazine Forbes published a fictional dispatch from the Republican campaign trail, "Romney Drops Out of Race, Endorses Santorum."
The media company must have rethought its prank, once the story landed in Google News's coveted number one spot, and removed the story.
[More from Mashable: April Fools’ Day Classics: Top 10 Viral Pranks on YouTube]
"In a surprise move, Mitt Romney announced today that he is ending his presidential campaign and throwing his support behind Rick Santorum. The move shocked observers, including Senator Santorum, as Governor Romney seemed poised for a decisive victory in Wisconsin.
The governor, however, said he concluded that he has 'no chance' to win the general election in December and that a Santorum candidacy in 2012 would be in the 'best interest of the party.'"
You can read the full text of the removed story on Short Form Blog.
Forbes didn't beat buzz-blog Gawker, which captured a screenshot while the story was trending on Google News.
What do you think of news sites engaging in April Fools' Day pranks? Have any others caught your eyes today?
Image courtesy of Flickr, Gage Skidmore
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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