1.9 Validity of information

Don't believe everything you read.  Especially if it involves secret concerts, 
reported band members deaths, or super-special releases.  Take special care on 
April Fools Day (April 1st). Also note that even reliable sources of info
(including Billy himself) are known to pull the occasional prank (e.g. claiming
that Nicole was one of the girls on the Siamese Dream cover).

If something is true, it should have a reliable source or reference.  "I heard
on the radio" does NOT count, as radios often go by rumors, and some people
just say that to spread rumors.  If CD Europe says they have a special box set
for $150 with super secret, rare, unreleased tracks on it, save your money. If
someone announces a release date for something, check to see if it's
real/correct before demanding to know why your local store/station doesn't have
it yet.  And if someone says their brother saw on MTV that Billy died, don't
believe it for a second until you see yourself it on mtv.com.

When something IS reliable, it will come from a real source.  Press releases 
are released by Associated Press and/or SP's publicist- but keep in mind that 
these can be faked as well (check to see who posted it). MTV News and
magazine interviews are -usually- accurate, although anything the 
band says should often be taken with a grain of salt (i.e. not completely 
seriously). Also, note that even if multiple news sites carry the same story,
this also does not necessarily make it true- journalists have been known to
be extremely lazy at things like research and fact checking, and will often
simply copy stories from other sites, leading to a propagation of incomplete
or inaccurate information.

Anything regarding the death, overdose, suicide, etc. of any band member, no
matter how official it looks (yes, these have been faked before), should NOT be
believed until you see it on Google News, you hear it on every radio station,
you see HUNDREDS of posts about it on various message boards, and you see it
directly from the band via twitter or facebook (that's one thing they are very
unlikely to joke about). See 5.3.