Brazeau says he “played the media” with his April’s Fool prank resignation
Conservative senator Patrick Brazeau claimed to have “played the media” for his April Fool's Day prank in which he announced his resignation over Twitter.
Conservative senator Patrick Brazeau claimed to have “played the media” for his April Fool's Day prank in which he announced his resignation over Twitter.
Several of his followers, including journalists, asked him for more details after he tweeted his resignation.
I will step down from my position!
— SenPatrickBrazeau (@TheBrazman) April 1, 2013
Official annoucement tomorrow at 10am.
— SenPatrickBrazeau (@TheBrazman) April 1, 2013
After a few hours of silence, Brazeau tweeted back that it was all a prank.
Apologies for my tasteless joke. It was meant as just that….a joke but I do realize is was tasteless.
— SenPatrickBrazeau (@TheBrazman) April 2, 2013
Several journalists were unamused. Yahoo Canada columnist Andy Radia called the prank "immature." Brazeau replied: "No, I played the media," but later removed the tweet.
Don't fall for it. @thebrazman is just "playing the media" with his apology tweet. Fool us once…
— Matthew Resby Coutts (@MRCoutts) April 2, 2013
[node:ad](Not the resignation. The fact that he'd be so spectacularly crass and stupid to make an idiot Twitter April Fools joke about it.)
— James McLeod (@TelegramJames) April 2, 2013
Oh, okay, can we please stop writing stories every time @thebrazman tweets? That would be great.
— Justin Ling (@Justin_Ling) April 2, 2013
Brazeau has previously butted heads with journalists on Twitter. Last year, he called Canadian Press reporter Jennifer Ditchburn a bitch after she wrote a story on Brazeau’s poor attendance track record in the Senate.
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Tamara Baluja is an award-winning journalist with CBC Vancouver and the 2018 Michener-Deacon fellow for journalism education. She was the associate editor for J-Source from 2013-2014.