The AP has enough credibility to cause problems. Had the hoax story been something that any reporter wouldn't have personally wanted to follow up on, it could h

The AP has enough credibility to cause problems. Had the hoax story been something that any reporter wouldn't have personally wanted to follow up on, it could have caused more damage. A hacked Twitter feed is only as good as the entity it represents. Once you have the credibility, it's probably the fastest way to spread the story to people too lazy to check it's validity.