>>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8237558.stm
>>
>>Summary: A newspaper in Bangladesh took an article from The Onion at face value, and reprinted it.
>
>That's amusing, but it points to a larger problem with modern media - consolidation. If a story gets on a newswire, it gets republished by hundreds if not thousands of media outlets with little or no checking. Misinformation, or outright lies can rapidly spread world-wide.

Even worse, if they are leaked (or just plain flushed) from governmental channels.