If we can't believe people who are experts in their field, who can we believe? That mindset damns the entire field of science communication and outreach Are w

If we can't believe people who are experts in their field, who can we believe? That mindset damns the entire field of science communication and outreach Are we supposed to take the lesson that we should simply never believe anything? Just give up on the concept facts and objectivity and give in to the chaotic maelstrom? Or are we supposed to go out and build our own space telescopes to verify every piece of information for ourselves? Neither of those are tenable, we have to be able to trust some people some of the time. Frankly I think tricks like these just erode confidence in science and science communicators. How many people excitedly shared these cool space images with their friends, and now have to deal with the embarrassment of looking like a fool for trusting a legitimate authority? Are those people going to be as excited when the next batch of legit photos come out, or will they withdraw and lose their excitement for fear of being tricked again? You may laugh, but these kinds of experiences do determine people's, and society's, behavior. The goal of science communication is to educate and excite the public, and by extension, drive funding for new advancements. Smug gotchas like this actively impede that effort.