Well, when people see something as outlandish being reported, they will resort to mockery, satire and sarcasm. Just as when Fox News, RT or some other generally more disreputable outlet makes ridiculous footage. Mockery may not be polite, but I would rather live with the ability to mock than not and criticism should certainly be allowed. Some people may take it too far and not engage with another story because of an error elsewhere, but the greatest damage comes from journalists making these bad errors in the first place.
It does create scepticism when they make future claims if unaddressed. Reputable scientific journals place a large weight on ensuring material published is robust because one dodgy paper can cause scepticism on what else is published, rightly or wrongly. High standards for this and journalism should be expected.
