The song and video were met with mostly positive reviews from critics, although at least one critic for The Commercial Appeal felt that the source material was already dated upon the single's release. Several notable individuals made cameos in the video, including Doug Llewelyn, Dr. The song's video took two days to film and ended up running over the allotted time that had been scheduled for production, costing the record label a considerable amount of money. In it, the three news stories are presented as if they are one-act plays to an audience.

To help promote the song and album, Yankovic directed a music video that was a direct parody of the Crash Test Dummies’ original. The song was written after Yankovic's label insisted he craft a new song to promote the album Yankovic in turn combined the music of the Crash Test Dummies’ song with three news stories that were popular in late 1993 and early 1994. It was released as the lead-off single for the compilation box set Permanent Record: Al in the Box on September 27, 1994. It is a parody of the Crash Test Dummies’ 1993 hit “ Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”. “ Headline News” is a parody song by 'Weird Al' Yankovic.

' Christmas at Ground Zero (Alternate Mix)' From the album Permanent Record: Al in the Box

Weird al headline news real stories