The government’s long-held stance is that it does not deal in rumours. But surely, given how this particular rumour gained traction and created protracted public anxiety, some sort of response — not necessarily an official one — was merited?
A distinction should also be made between disinformation and misinformation. While the latter would eventually die out, disinformation — driven by malicious intent — is harder to quash and should be nipped in the bud. Full story
