A foolish thing to post without checking, yes, and I speak as one who checks a lot of things before I post them. However, I can't imagine that she concocted the story herself, and the tone of some responses to her did sound as though she was suspected of "telling lies".
Why am I "being such an apologist for her" ? That sounds accusatory. Do you suspect that it is because I approve of posting inflammatory stuff wholesale, MaryEliza? Or perhaps that I was behind the false rumour and am expressing solidarity with a spreader of it? Is that what you think of me? It is nice to know that my reputation is so high with you, I am sure!
I commented as I did because I don't like to see people being crushed by several tons of disapproval for gullibly believing what they hear or read. If everyone who believed a rumour were to vanish in a puff of smoke, the country would be nine-tenths empty in a week. You can advise everyone to check and recheck and be sceptical, but I am afraid many ordinary people (who perhaps, like the bulk of the population, were not "taught to debate at school", as a poster once assumed was normal for everyone), are going to believe what they hear and repeat it. Teaching them to be more suspicious can surely be done without humiliatingly accusing them of lies.
How do you acknowledge Easter.
Is there anyone who still thinks that Israel's actions in Gaza are justifiable?