A fake edition of The New York Times was distributed free to unsuspecting commuters in New York and other major US cities, under a slightly altered version of newspaper's motto – "all the news we hope to print," revised from "all the news that's fit to print."

1.2 million copies of the 14 page special edition, announcing an end to the Iraq war, were handed out by thousands of volunteers on Wednesday 12 November, a week after the US presidential election.

The copy, dated July 4 2009, was almost indistinguishable from the real New York Times and initially many readers, believing it to be genuine, were surprised by the "news" reported in the publication.

Steven Lambert, one of the organizers behind the project, said: "We wanted to experience what it would look like, and feel like, to read headlines we really want to read.

"It’s about what’s possible, if we think big and act collectively."

Responsibility for the spoof has been claimed by the Yes Men, a liberal activist group well known for their politically motivated pranks.

A website that mimicked the legitimate Times website also accompanied the parody.

The project had taken about six months to bring to fruition and was funded by small online donations.

Real New York Times reporters are alleged to have participated in the spoof, helping it to appear as authentic as possible.

Headlines in the spurious edition included "Nationalized oil to fund climate Control efforts," "Court indicts Bush on high treason charge" and"All public universities to be free."

Reactions to the hoax were generally positive, with most readers hoping that some of the articles could one day become a reality.

One reader of the edition said: "It will be nice when it comes true and a very clever idea.

"A lot of times when you put an idea out in the open it has a chance to come true."

With expectations high following the presidential election results, the prank highlights the pressure Barack Obama is under to fulfill his promise of "change."