No, this prank was helpful. Any system (in this case the system of how information originating in science makes it into the general public brains) needs to be

No, this prank was helpful. Any system (in this case the system of how information originating in science makes it into the general public brains) needs to be tested from time to time to see if it works. This prank was a test, the system failed (to stop this from reaching headlines).