In the local newspaper, there was a report of a young man who was observed "acting erratically" and was then found to have cannabis in his pocket although he didn't think it was his. This was probably laughed at by the police and the judge, although not publicly. Words that could apply include gullibility, naivety or misunderstanding although there might be less generous possibilities.
We have had fake news, misspoken briefings, even some straight-out lies but now we have stupid news and the worry is what will be the end of this sequence?