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It's after normal working hours. A big space rock creates a science fiction-like sky show. You're a news site journalist, scrambling to cover an event that lacks easily found photos initially.
So you grab an old NASA file image of a massive meteor impact about 2,000 miles from Southeast Michigan in ancient times.
Not a good idea, MLive learns as its oddly illustrated article and social media posts draw fireballs of derision -- as well as puzzlement (or teasing) from a Bay City reader. "Wow! Huge crater. Where did it land?" he asks at MLive's site. "That is, uh, confusing," tweets Paul Dodd of Ann Arbor. Another critic tags it #FakeSpaceNews.
The Arizona crater photo, posted about two and a half hours after Tuesday night's meteor flash here, remained atop the article and two social posts until shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"News orgs can't just take a reader's video or photo and publish it without permission," MLive reporter Matt Turr replies to a critic's tweet. "So yeah, there's file art on the tweet linking to the story. You got us."
Another public response comes from MLive sports photographer Mike Mulholland, who accuses Detroit journalist Chad Livengood of trying to "create outrage" with the top tweet embedded below. "Grow up," Mulholland snipes on Twitter.
These are among reactions as the news group becomes an online piñata:
That one time a major news organization in Michigan used a photo of a 49,000-year-old meteor crater in Arizona to illustrate a reported meteor spotted in the skies over Michigan... pic.twitter.com/CgMhm2RLv8
— Chad Livengood (@ChadLivengood) January 17, 2018
How high was the person who chose the picture for this?
— JimYzerman (@JimYzerman) January 17, 2018
1. Buy a real photo from a local photog
— Ashley C. Woods (@Ash_Detroit) January 17, 2018
2. Ask a reader for permission to use the photo.
3. Show a picture of a meteor in space.
4. Make an illustration of our state with a pretty meteor flying across it.
All better, more ethical options that don't take advantage of your audience https://t.co/IFRhgLNmGy
Really? This photo has, literally, nothing to do with what transpired today. Crappy move, @MLive
— Loren Sztajer (@lorensztajer) January 17, 2018
Welcome to MLive - proudly reusing old and stock photos since 2012...
— Pete Larson (@PMLarson) January 17, 2018
So, this is a picture of a giant meteor crater with a story about a meteor that broke up in the air. That is, uh, confusing.
— Paul Dodd (@umphd) January 17, 2018
Oooh...is that's what's left of Detroit? ðÂÂÂÂ?ÂÂÂÂ?ÂÂÂÂ?
— ÎÂÂÂÂ?γία ΣοÏÂÂÂÂ?ία (@nevrchek) January 17, 2018
Isn't that the Silverdome site?
— Maia (@maiainmi) January 17, 2018
If Trump is 239 lbs, I don't see why this cannot be the impact crater.
— Lawrence Connolly (@LawrenceConnol2) January 17, 2018
This reporter-reader exchange is from Wednesday morning:
.This excuse as to why you had a photo of the Arizona crater is as lazy as the actual mistake. â€ÂÂÂœCan’t just steal someone else’s work, might as well attach the most misleading photo we can findâ€ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ. This is so @MLive it hurts.
— Zackary (@zpbUSA) January 17, 2018
