Why is this newsworthy?

News stories traditionally follow what is known as the “inverted pyramid” structure, placing the most important and arresting information in the opening sentence. The following, I kid you not, is the opening sentence of a Ninemsn story by Phil Han:

Aliens could misinterpret earth’s classic songs as declarations of war if they are recklessly broadcast into space, some scientists say.

If you check the date of publication, you’ll notice it doesn’t say April 1st.  So apparently the threat of space aliens misconstruing the lyrics of  The Beatles’ “Across the Universe” as hostile and attacking us is imminent enough to be worth reporting by a major media outlet.