Bingo! Someone gets it.
Yes, the fact that it was false compounds the error -- the error being the publishing of this story to begin with (even if true).
On an "Atrocity" scale of 0 to 10, the events in this story are about a .002. On a "Bad Things That Can Happen To Innocents Overseas If We Publish This Story" scale of 0 to 10, this would be a 9.9999.
That really is the point, but we have become so acclimated to media irresponsibility cloaked by bogus first amendment claims that we've lost any sense of outrage.
On second thought, calling it irresponsible is a bit bland. Subversive is a better term. Deliberate sabotage even better.
The question now is, having seen how easily the ummah can be provoked into a blood-lust frenzy, can the MSM resist a repeat performance down the road? I doubt it.