ROTHENBURGER – Unfounded rumours are spreading like wildfire these says

THE RUMOUR MILL doesn’t need much encouragement to start churning, especially when people are nervous and uncertain about what’s going on around them.

What’s going on around us right now is wildfires, and the rumour mill has been busy.

Everybody is eager to share information. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes not so much.

When that information is based on first-hand knowledge, it can be valuable. When it arises from casual speculation, it can cause unnecessary stress.

The sight of anything that looks like smoke is one of the biggest sources for rumours. For example, there was a social media post the other day that smoke appeared to be rising in the hills above a particular location on a rural road.

There was no plume of smoke, as it turned out, no wildfire in the area. The smoke was merely the edge of the smoke cloud that had been hovering over the city for several days. But you can bet the erroneous report had people in the vicinity worried.

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.