I suppose it's something to watch out for in oneself. When I read a poorly-sourced story about some atrocity, do I want it to be true, because it "proves" what I already believe about Those People?
I recall some of the stories that came out after Hurricane Katrina, which were later revealed to be journalistic fictions. Were they believable because we "know" that's what the black urban underclass is like?
The Katrina disaster infuriated me! So many lies about people. There was enough bad behavior but to write that people were shooting helicopters out of the sky? And mass rapes were occurring in the Super Dome? Has anyone apologized for those hoaxes?