“17 Bodies Found In Ohio River Near Henderson.”

“President Obama to Offer Asylum, Health Care Options to ISIS Members.”

“Tampax to Market Pumpkin Spice Tampons.”

As I scroll through my Facebook newsfeed, I’m shocked to see these headlines. I can’t believe I completely missed these breaking news stories. I ignore my notifications and invite to play Dice with Buddies and frantically read the articles, trying to figure out the details.

There is just one problem. None of these things actually happened.

The stories are all from Empire News, a satirical news site.

Unfortunately, some Facebookers, in their desire to pass along information for the greater good or to promote their extreme political views, forget one tiny aspect of news sharing — the truth.

I don’t usually mingle in other people’s Facebook affairs. However, I feel as if I’ve seen too many of these stories shared by people whom I’m sure are relatively intelligent and clearly have access to the wonders of the internet.

Instead of merely writing them off, I hope they will come to their senses, or find some.

In our age of technology, it is possible to put anything — absolutely anything — on the internet. And despite what you might believe, the internet is not pure truth. In fact, it is full of all kinds of hogwash, poppycock and general tom foolery.

While these headlines are great attention grabbers, that is the extent of their worth. Empire News’s website clearly states that it is a satirical website. In other words, it’s not real. The Onion is a similar site.

There are a few easy ways to determine if a story is fact or fiction, or if a news site is generally credible.

First, check out the website you are pulling the story from. Disclaimer tabs often reveal if a site is satirical. If not, all it takes is a quick google search to determine the validity of a website. Most often the word “fake” or “satirical” will pop up somewhere under the results.

Secondly, if a website features more advertisements and pictures than it does actual content of the story, it is most likely not an accurate source for information.

Last but not least, take a second to think about the story you are sharing. Don’t just read the headline and pass it along because you know it will generate a lot of response. Think about why the police finding 17 bodies in the Ohio River isn’t being broadcast on television or published on any other news site.

Remember, think before you share.