Fraudcast News

Infobox Simpsons episode
episode_name = Fraudcast News
episode_no = 335
prod_code = FABF18
airdate = May 23, 2004
writer = Don Payne
director = Bob Anderson
couch_gag = The family members fly in dressed as popular anime characters (Bart as Astro Boy, Homer as Ultraman, Lisa as Sailor Moon, Marge as Princess from Battle of the Planets and Maggie as Pikachu from Pokémon) and land on a bench with "シンプソンズ" on it, Japanese for "Simpsons".


image_caption= Lisa's newspaper versus Burns Media.
season = 15

"Fraudcast News" is the 22nd and last episode of "The Simpsons"' fifteenth season, first aired on May 23, 2004 in the United States on the FOX network. The Writers Guild of America gave this episode a 2005 WGA Award, winning the Paul Selvin Award, which honors works that focus on First Amendment issues.

Plot

Springfield holds a ceremony dedicating their newest national park, Geezer Rock, a rock formation which resembles a face in profile. As Lisa prepares to read a poem there, Homer notices that there is a small tree growing in the eye of the rock, and pulls it out, believing he is doing the right thing. Unfortunately, this causes Geezer Rock to fall apart, and everyone runs for their lives—except for Mr. Burns, who winds up in a landslide. Smithers fears he has lost Mr. Burns.

Lisa is saddened that no one ever heard her poem, and she publishes it on Marge's suggestion. Meanwhile, it turns out that, Burns survived the horrible landslide—through slithering his way out—but nobody except Smithers has missed him. To improve his image, he decides to acquire every media outlet in Springfield.

Lisa distributes the very first issue of her newspaper, "The Red Dress Press", which is well-received. She enlists the help of Bart, Milhouse, and Nelson, among others, to publish her newspaper's second issue.

Burns acquires all media outlets in Springfield except Lisa's newspaper. His views are even promoted on "Itchy & Scratchy" (which he now writes and directs). Lisa is saddened that all the others left her, but is relieved when Bart decides to stay and help Lisa publish more issues. Later, Burns tries to bait Lisa with ponies in an attempt to acquire her newspaper, but she will not give up. Burns gets back at Lisa by cutting off the Simpsons' power. Lisa writes her next issue through an old mimeograph Skinner used in Vietnam. Mr. Burns has a talk with Homer (and even drugs him) so he can dish some dirt on Lisa. Lisa writes her final "I Give Up" edition and gives up, but Homer responds by creating his own newspaper, and other people also create their own newspapers to help her.

Burns ultimately decides that acquiring all media outlets is not so great, so rather than conceding defeat (in which he hates), he goes out on a shopping spree with Smithers.

Cultural references

*The title of the episode is a play on the name of James L. Brooks' 1987 film, "Broadcast News". Brooks is also a co-developer and producer of "The Simpsons".
*The Squeaky Voiced Teen jumps off Geezer Rock, depressed due to the cancellation of "Futurama", a show created by "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening.
*The collapse of Geezer Rock is a reference to when the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in 2003.
*The title of the "Itchy and Scratchy" short, "What's Nuked, Pussycat?" is a play on "What's New Pussycat?"