1. CNN's 2024 Syrian Prison story seemed perfect:

A dramatic rescue. A grateful prisoner. An award-worthy scoop.

One problem: The "innocent prisoner" was actually a military intelligence officer accused of torture.

When a story seems too perfect, it probably is.

2. In 2012, China's state newspaper fell for something incredible:

They published a 55-photo spread celebrating Kim Jong-un as "Sexiest Man Alive"

The source? The Onion. A satirical website.

Cultural blind spots can make anyone miss obvious red flags.

3. The 2004 CBS Bush military story had it all:

• Dramatic documents
• A trusted anchor (Dan Rather)
• A compelling narrative

But typography experts noticed one detail that changed everything...

4. The documents used Microsoft Word's default font settings - impossible for 1970s typewriters.

Rather resigned. Four executives were fired.

The lesson? Even the smallest technical detail can expose the biggest lie.

5. 2013: KTVU News broke "exclusive" details about Asiana Airlines pilots:

"Captain Sum Ting Wong"
"Wi Tu Lo"
"Ho Lee Fuk"

They blamed an NTSB intern for verification.

The real culprit? Racing to be first instead of right.

6. The Rolling Stone UVA story shows the danger of single sources:

• No corroborating witnesses
• No fact-checking
• Complete trust in one narrative

The magazine paid millions in lawsuits.

Never let a great story override basic verification.

7. Brian Williams claimed he was in a helicopter under fire in Iraq.

The truth? He arrived an hour after the incident.

Why would a respected anchor risk everything on a lie?

The pressure to be extraordinary can corrupt ordinary truth.

8. The Iranian news agency's greatest scoop:

"77% of rural Americans prefer Ahmadinejad to Obama"

Source? The Onion. Again.

When news confirms your biases too perfectly, check twice.