Did you eat the Onion? Get stung by the Bee? It’s understandable with actual news headlines so ridiculous that it’s hard to tell the difference anymore.

So if you have come to realize that you accidentally posted a satire article thinking it was real news, don’t panic! Don’t delete the link!

There are ways you can save face. Here are the options you can take to save face:

1. Use it as a commentary on the ridiculousness of reality. Seriously, straight news is so ridiculous that people have to understand that satire—even if it’s the most ridiculous satire out there—is within the realm of possibility today. It happens to the best of us so don’t beat yourself up.

2. Act like you meant to post satire. Depending on how you posted it, you could play it off like you knew it was satire all along. Usually a LOL or a ? will help so you should post one of those with every headline anyway.

3. Say you’re testing the fact-checkers. Fact-checkers are notoriously horrible, humorless people who kick puppies whenever they get a chance. Just say you’re testing these scoundrels.

Americans are highly satisfied with your overall performance, but would like more money sent to Ukraine.

— Claire PhDD (@ClaireFosterPHD) December 16, 2022

4. Say that it is prophecy. The Simpsons show is probably the first and best satirical prophets but the Babylon Bee has a long list of headlines that have come true—they even made up some of these headlines on their own!

5. Own it. When Elon Musk posted a screenshot of a Genesius Times article, he didn’t delete it, he kept it up to showcase the Community Notes feature that guards against misinformation.

If Community Notes can correct me, then obviously they can correct anyone. This is a good example. They were right to add the label.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 29, 2022

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