When a site with "WordPress" in its address tells you that the Catholic church just announced that following the pope on Twitter will keep you out of hell, you laugh, dub it bullshit, and close your browser. But when a major news site with millions of readers does it -- and it happened this past July -- you begin wondering if the Vatican is going to start issuing papal bulls consisting solely of photos of Grumpy Cat.

As we've noted before, sometimes the media concocts a story out of pixie dust and hobbit tears seemingly just for laughs. But how frequently does a serious news organization get a story wrong? Surprisingly often, it turns out. Here are some recent news items you might have seen that were actually pulled from someone's ass.