Rumor Mongering

Key Terms and Concepts: rumors, defamation, internet rumors

Spreading rumors is not illegal. However, if you are caught saying something you know or should know is untrue about someone else, that is called defamation and you could be sued.

When the supermarket tabloids lie about a famous person, they get sued and often have to pay a lot of money in damages to the victim. The laws on the Internet are no different. But it is much harder to find people who don't want to be found.

What Are Rumors?
We all know what rumors are. Think about some of the biggest rumors you hear either in school, at home or in your neighborhood. Generally, rumors are unkind thoughts, ideas and comments about people. Then again, some are humorous.
One of the rumors in my middle school was that Ms. Kraftmeyer and Coach Scully were secretly married. I didn't know the truth, but I know that many of todays rumors are not quite so kind.


The Internet is an ideal breeding ground for spreading rumors, also known as rumormongering. On the hundreds of thousands of chat rooms on every possible subject, people can say what they think, or make up just about anything they want.

Remember that on the Internet it is very easy to be anonymous. If people don't know who you really are, then it is very difficult for anyone to find you.
 
Rumors can be very damaging, as anyone who has ever been to school knows. The rumor mill moves fast in school. But on the Internet, rumors move at light speed to huge audiences and can cause a great deal more damage than what happens at school.

One of the problems is that people tend to believe what they read in a newspaper or on the 6PM news. Too many people believe what they read on the Internet, which makes rumor mongering much more dangerous in Cyberspace.

How you behave on the Internet is, of course, up to you, and I bet that most parents and teachers know of more than one instance where a rumor really hurt someone - without the Internet.

 

Questions To Think About?

If you hear a rumor about someone who is close to you, what do you do about it? Tell your friend you heard it? Ignore it and let the rumor continue traveling? Get involved and try and stop it?

Would you start a rumor about an unfair teacher? A parent? Would you publish half-truths and rumors about someone on your personal Web site just to embarrass them? What harm could you cause?

Are you more or less likely to spread a rumor if you think it's funny or if you think it might embarrass or hurt someone? How can you tell the difference?

Graduate student arrested for spreading rumors over Internet
http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/20010315/20010315s5.html

Don't Get Suckered By Internet Rumors!
http://www.repeatbiz.net/inetrumors.html

The World Wide Rumor Web
http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2001/10/102901t_hoaxes.jhtml

Hoaxes, Urban Legend, Chain Letters, Urban Myths, Bogus Information, Spam
http://www.geocities.com/stophoaxes/