That librarian handout made me rethink my own BS detector

I used to think I was pretty good at spotting fake news stories online. Last month at the downtown branch in Austin, I was waiting to pick up a hold and the librarian asked if I wanted to see their 'source verification' handout. I laughed and said no, I've got that covered. Then she showed me a stack of printouts from local Facebook groups, all sharing the same fabricated story about a mall closure that never happened. I checked the date, the location, even reverse image searched the photo. Turned out the image was from a mall in Ohio, 2015. That moment made me realize I'd been skimming headlines and trusting first impressions for years. Now I check the actual article body and the domain's about page before I share anything. Has anyone else had that gut check moment where you found out your own filter was the weak link? What tipped you off?

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