3 trending—but false—reports that sprang from bin Laden’s death

In that media melee, some misinformation made its way to the public. Here are a few of the more notable pieces of bad info that were relayed to the public:

1.The MLK quote that sort of wasn’t.

Your Facebook friend (probably the same one who always posts kitten videos) might have posted this on Monday and attributed it to Martin Luther King Jr.:

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Mashable has gotten to the bottom of that quote. It comes partially from Dr. King and partially from a random person named Jessica Dovey and was actually made famous by magician Penn Jillette.

Basically, its path is slightly easier to follow than the plotline of AMC’s “The Killing.”