History Main / ProportionalArticleImportance

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePiratesInAnAdventureWithScientists'', just as the Pirate Captain is about to receive the Pirate of the Year Award, Black Bellamy stops the ceremony before prompting display a newspaper to the audience. Unfortunately, he has it backwards and shows them an article about an adorable kitten, causing everyone to go 'Aww'. Bellamy promptly turns the paper around to show the article about the Pirate Captain being pardoned by Queen Victoria.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'', Miss Naughty places a rubber fly on Mr. Nervous' salad plate, and then waits to see his reaction. True to form, Mr. Nervous starts freaking out about something being in his salad, and asks Mr. Tickle to get rid of it. "It's just an olive," Mr. Tickle tells him, removing the offending veggie.

* In ''WesternAnimation/PiratesInAnAdventureWithScientists'', just as the Pirate Captain is about to receive the Pirate of the Year Award, Black Bellamy stops the ceremony before prompting display a newspaper to the audience. Unfortunately, he has it backwards and shows them an article about an adorable kitten, causing everyone to go 'Aww'. Bellamy promptly turns the paper around to show the article about the Pirate Captain being pardoned by Queen Victoria.

* A running gag in the first few ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'' books was that a kid would notice whatever bizarre events were befalling Captain Underpants, only that when he tried to point them out to his mother, she'd ask him how she was expected to believe that-while reading something that was nearly as strange, such as a tabloid newspaper with the headline "Bigfoot gives birth to 200 pound UFO baby". The fourth book had the pair appear twice-the second time, the kid decided not to tell his mother about the giant robot fighting a giant man in his underwear.

* In ''Fanfic/ThisBites'', during the Alabasta Saga, Cross calls in Nami and Zoro to show them the newspaper article about half of Alabasta's army defecting to the rebels. When Zoro reads it, he ends up looking at an article about Luffy's future rival, Kidd.

* In ''Fanfic/ThisBites'', during the Alabasta Saga, Cross calls in Nami and Zoro to show them the newspaper article about half of Alabasta's army defecting to the rebels. When Zoro reads it, he ends up looking at an article about Luffy's future rival, Kid.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/localboy.png]]]]

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[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/localboy.png]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:350:"Are you saying Ferb playing the blues ''didn't'' cause world peace?"]]-]

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* In ''WesternAnimation/ChickenRun'', after Ginger shows the other chickens a poster for "Rocky the Flying Rooster":
-->'''Ginger:''' This is our way out of here."\\
'''[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Babs]]:''' We'll make posters?\\
'''Ginger:''' What's on the poster, Babs, what's on the poster! We'll fly out!

* In ''Literature/AmericanGods'' Shadow attempts to show Wednesday how much time they've spent "backstage" by showing him a newspaper. Wednesday only sarcastically comments on the first headline he sees.

%%* ''Series/ILoveLucy''
%%* ''Series/FullHouse''

* [[RunningGag Several riffs]] on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' used this: The film du jour would have a SpinningPaper, and someone would react to one of the small filler headlines instead of the big one about the monster/criminal/etc. "New petitions against tax!" "My God!"

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E3SilverNemesis Silver Nemesis]]", the ''Daily Mirror'' has a huge headline proclaiming that the meteor that kicks off the plot is returning to Earth. Ace, however, is more interested in the football results at the bottom of the back page, and the Doctor doesn't notice.

* ''Troll and I'' starts in 1953, with one character showing another a newspaper headline. The other man assumes he's being shown the news about UsefulNotes/JosefStalin's death, but the actual article of interest is the one about Scandinavian troll sightings.

* This was a key plot point in the ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' episode "The Headless Horseman of Halloween": at one point Shaggy finds a newspaper clipping with the article "Flying Saucer Lands at Beauticians' Convention". When Fred looks at it, however he announces he just solved the mystery. At the end of the episode, Fred reveals the actual clue was on the other side of the clipping: an article reporting that the VillainOfTheWeek's company had filed for bankruptcy, thus providing a motive.
* Bender in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E19RoswellThatEndsWell Roswell That Ends Well]]": "High school gym renovations on schedule? What a load!" The more important article is the report of the Roswell incident, which the time-traveling characters [[HistoricalInJoke have caused]].

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' the titular characters read a page of ads, all of them for prostitutes, strippers and sex-lines. The only ad not involving sex says "assistant wanted". Their reaction? "Hehehe... it says ass!"
* In the Mickey Mouse cartoon ''WesternAnimation/RunawayBrain'', Mickey, forgetting the anniversary of his first date with Minnie, sees an ad for a miniature golf course in the paper and shows it to her, offering it as a consolation. Minnie instead sees the ad below it, for an expensive Hawaiian vacation.
* A variation occurs in a ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' episode: when bounty hunter Puff is looking for a money-making opportunity, she finds a newspaper saying there's a reward for the capture of Rubberband Man. Upon showing it to her accomplice Onyx, he remarks "Gee, Puff, I don't know. Journalists don't make a lot of money..."
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'', Miss Naughty places a rubber fly on Mr. Nervous' salad plate, and then waits to see his reaction. True to form, Mr. Nervous starts freaking out about something being in his salad, and asks Mr. Tickle to get rid of it. "It's just an olive," Mr. Tickle tells him, removing the offending veggie.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Le Petite Tourette," Cartman's about to fake having Tourette's on Series/{{Dateline}}, and Kyle plans to stop him by using the fact that Chris Hanson, about to interview Cartman, also hosts "To Catch a Predator." He tricks a pedophile into entering the studio, promising brownies would be in there, too. His plan worked a little too well, as a number of pedophiles enter the studio, each one shooting themselves when they saw Chris Hanson after shouting out "Oh no, it's Chris Hanson!" and the like. One pedophile, however, shoots himself after shouting, "There aren't really brownies?!"
* Featured in the ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' episode "One Thousand Years of Courage", where Courage and his family end up transported into a future ruled by sentient bananas. Eustace is reading a paper, and complains about the RidiculousFutureInflation in an ad ("Eight million bucks for a salami!") before Courage and company [[NewspaperDating notice the date on the paper.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'', Piper shows the team a notice on how they've become the most wanted criminals in Atmos because of thefts by imposters. All Junko sees the ad for an apartment, and how expensive it is.

* Happens in episode 11 of ''Series/LangtFraLasVegas'' when Anne makes Casper read a newspaper article about elderly people hating children.

* In one episode of ''Beavis and Butthead'' the titular characters read a page of ads, all of them for prostitutes, strippers and sex-lines. The only ad not involving sex says "assistant wanted". Their reaction? "Hehehe... it says ass!"

* Several riffs on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' used this: The film du jour would have a SpinningPaper, and someone would react to one of the small filler headlines instead of the big one about the monster/criminal/etc. "New petitions against tax!" "My God!"

-->''*gasp* I'm human-sized!''

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode "[[Recap/RugratsS2E15VisitorsFromOuterSpaceCaseOfTheMissingRugrat Visitors from Outer Space/The Case of the Missing Rugrat]]" When Lou tries to show Didi the news article about aliens abducting a family, he accidentally has it on an article about a soap opera queen marrying [[FaunsAndSatyrs a goat-man]].

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film]]

-->'''Captain Rex Kramer:''' "Passengers Certain to Die!"
-->'''Steve [=McCroskey=]:''' "Airline Negligent."
-->'''Johnny:''' [[TheTriple There's a sale at Penney's]]!

-->'''Steve [=McCroskey=]:''' Johnny, what can you make out of this?\\

* Almost done in Film/{{Dogma}} when Bartleby shows Loki the newspaper clipping about the church rededication. Instead of reading the wrong side/article, Loki reads just the headline with a "so?" Which prompts Bartleby to respond, "You have to ''keep'' reading."

-->'''Ginger''': This is our way out of here."\\
'''[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Babs]]''': We'll make posters?\\
'''Ginger''': What's on the poster, Babs, what's on the poster! We'll fly out!

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E3SilverNemesis "Silver Nemesis"]], the ''Daily Mirror'' has a huge headline proclaiming that the meteor that kicks off the plot is returning to Earth. Ace, however, is more interested in the football results at the bottom of the back page, and the Doctor doesn't notice.

* Bender in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode [[Recap/FuturamaS3E19RoswellThatEndsWell "Roswell That Ends Well"]]: "High school gym renovations on schedule? What a load!" The more important article is the report of the Roswell incident, which the time-traveling characters [[HistoricalInJoke have caused]].

* Parodied in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy''. Lois wishes to show Peter the newspaper where photos of them at a boat race were published in, and Peter believes that the thing Lois wants him to notice is ''movable type'', and panics that their serfs may find out.

-->'''Lois''': This is wonderful! Look at this, Peter!\\
'''Peter''': [reading headline] 200 die in train derailment. Oh God, Lois, that is just morbid[[ItMakesSenseInContext ly obese.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E17DaringDone "Daring Done?"]], when Pinkie thinks that Rainbow wants to look at the paper to see the news about Cloudsdale politics, Rainbow shoves the page with Yearling's retirement announcement in her face. Pinkie sees an entirely different article.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode [[Recap/RugratsS2E15VisitorsFromOuterSpaceCaseOfTheMissingRugrat "Visitors from Outer Space/The Case of the Missing Rugrat"]] When Lou tries to show Didi the news article about aliens abducting a family, he accidentally has it on an article about a soap opera queen marrying [[FaunsAndSatyrs a goat-man]].

[[caption-width-right:350:"Are you saying Ferb playing the blues ''didn't'' cause world peace?"]]