Thread:Shadowstorm1000/@comment-24989948-20151008095043/@comment-4091815-20151009020928

It is a false story based on a misunderstanding and willful ignorance on the part of some media outlets.

To republish a story you know is false is a lie. News should not be lies.

It also cast aspersions on individuals who have done nothing wrong.

You can't get around it by saying "everybody else is doing it" or "these false reports became newsworthy because someone took them seriously."

That doesn't change the lie at the story's base or the fact that repeating false information is defamatory toward the individuals involved.