The great bastions of digital (and even print) media view April Fool's Day as a 24-hour window for lawlessness and deception. Hence Google's burgeoning collection of 4/1 tomfoolery and many media outlets' archives of fake news. Gawker Media's love for April's opening day is no different (though some would say that behavior isn't necessarily confined to a single holiday).

This year's punditry? Jezebel announced a sellout (in more ways than one!) to CondéNast's digital arm, CondéNet — complete with a faux press release and requisite notices of editorial slayings. The ladysite then spent the day bathing itself in the Vogue-esque fashion doctrine, vapid celebrity idolatry, and unquestioning man-worship that its audience so loathes. Nothing like dipping into the submissive side of feminism to incite an uproar in the Jezebel community!

The prank won acclaim as one of the day's best from Crain's , the Chicago Tribune, and The New York Times as well as a smug, humorless rejection from CondéNast itself [via Portfolio].

Check out the coverage!

Gawker has finally started to sell itself off. And the first buyer—perhaps unsurprisingly—is Condé Nast. Or so it seems.

At least, that's how Gawker's Nick Denton would like us to report the pseudo-news that Gawker Media has sold its shoot-from-the-hips women's fashion and celebrity site, Jezebel. With cross-postings announcing the sale—and disposition of the staff—on both Gawker.com and Jezebel.com Tuesday morning, Gawker Media has apparently and at long last entered the fast-paced media acquisitions market.

A press release, supposedly found on PRNewswire, proclaims that Gawker has sold Jezebel to CondéNet, the Internet arm of Condé Nast, at the top of its popularity. "Launched in May 2007 with only three staff members, the site quickly [has become] popular with affluent, well-educated female 'tastemakers,'" the release declares, claiming Jezebel got "more than 14.5 million page views" in March 2008. The only insight into the gag: A quote from CondéNet president Sarah Chubb, noting that "Of course, even the best concepts need airbrushing!"

By late afternoon, the Jezebel website was emblazoned with a new logo reading Condé Nast's Jezebel, and further announcements of staff changes. (Editors Anna Holmes and Dodai Stewart to leave; editors Christine Taylor-Wood, Eva Braunstein and Daphne Martin, to take over.)

Like most good April Fool's Day pranks, the Gawker/Jezebel hoax had reporters scratching their heads... [Crain's]

And, browse the entire day's spoof coverage on Jezebel!

Contact information for this author is not available.