"Total Believable Hearsay"

What do you do when a source relays to you a horrible crime committed with the following words:

You might be interested in an anecdote I haven't published because it is just a rumor, though it is a rumor only once removed from me ...

Reason, civility and/or simple Christian charity might dictate that you do nothing; or, perhaps, await further evidence or documentation.

On the other hand, if you're a Catholic Apologist with an axe to grind against President Bush, you publish this "entirely believable anecdote" directly to your blog.

Update:

• Scorn Makes You Stupid - Patrick Archbold (Creative Minority Report) takes Shea to task.
• McCarthyism, or why hyperbole hurts one’s cause, by Paul Zummo (CrankyCon)
• Fools Rush In, by Red Cardigan (And Sometimes Tea)