We would all benefit from a healthy dose of "too good to be true" in our thought processes. When a story appears that perfectly fits the narrative, or expectation, or situation that should lead us to further question the story teller. Urban legends appear in much the same way outside of journalism.
He fell for the Nigerian Prince scam because they used Irish instead of Nigerian. That's pathetic
We would all benefit from a healthy dose of "too good to be true" in our thought processes. When a story appears that perfectly fits the narrative, or expectation, or situation that should lead us to further question the story teller. Urban legends appear in much the same way outside of journalism.