"To fail to distinguish; mix up: confound fiction and fact." "be careful not to conflate gossip with real news" first web hits: http://www.merriam-webster.com

"To fail to distinguish; mix up: confound fiction and fact." "be careful not to conflate gossip with real news" first web hits: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflate http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflate http://www.thefreedictionary.com/confound http://www.thefreedictionary.com/confound I think the poster is fine.