Don't believe everything you read on line. Somehow I don;t think that saying goes as far as it should anymore. I think it has gotten to a point where people should question just about EVERYTHING they read on line. The latest story to cross my Facebook news feed is a story from O'Reilly Post stating that actor Robert Downey Jr. moving to the Albany area. In the story the "reporter" says that in an interview Robert states "I’m just tired of the fake people and bulls**t in L.A. and Manhattan and I’ve decided that I want to live in a place where I feel like people are genuine and sincere." While that seems like a great sentiment the truth is , there is nothing true about the statement or the article itself.

How do I know its all false? Well the first thing is that if you click on "About Us" on the webpage the story is on it says, "O’Reilly Post is a fantasy news site.  All news articles on oreillypost.com are satire or pure fantasy."

What really amazes me is how many people believe the story without questioning it's authenticity at all. There are over 100 comments on the article already from our friends and neighbors here in the Capital District welcoming Robert to the area and giving him advice on which town he should live in. Do I blame these people for wanting the story to be true, no. DO I blame them for not being a little more skeptical? Yes. Yes I do.

I think in a world where stories of politics, race relations, class warfare and personal attacks are more and more prevalent in social media , you should check EVERYTHING you read for its source and authenticity.

Fortunetely there is an easy way to do it, there is a website called Snopes.com and believe me if you are reading it, they have probably already heard about it and checked on its validity. In fact you can read there take on Robert Downey moving to the Capital Region here.

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