Thumbs down: No justification for this phony report

There are plenty of examples of fake news sites that are deserving of a downward digit. But this thumbs down goes to a unique source for phony reports - a police department.

Earlier this year, an NBC affiliate in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara aired and posted a story with the headline: “Identity fraud suspects from Guadalupe turned over to ICE officials.” Other news media did something similar. The story quoted Santa Maria police that two men had been arrested on identity theft charges and handed over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. The only problem is the story was not true.

The two men had not been arrested, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement wasn't even aware it supposedly had them both in custody. Santa Maria police say they needed to plant the story as part of a long-running investigation, known as Operation Matador, of local MS-13 gang members.

The investigation eventually resulted in the arrest of 17 gang members. Police Chief Ralph Martin said they needed to release a fake news release to protect informants and their families. But in the process he burned the department's credibility. Reporters - and the public - were used.