The story was so blatantly dubious from the get-go that I would have fact-checked even my own father (and he's a retired FBI agent) before publishing the damn thing.
I mean, if my brother0in-law, who was a Marine officer in Viet Nam, and whom I trust implicitly, came to me with a story like this, I would call the White House and check it out. I am only a Midwestern housewife, not a Washington reporter, but even I would check my own brother0in-law!
Exactly .. you don't go and print a story AND THEN verify the facts