Don't believe everything you hear

Here at the Independent Record we hear a lot of rumors. While some of those rumors are about people about town, the most frequent ones we hear are about our local businesses and what they are ‘supposedly’ up to.

Without a doubt, we always check on the veracity of the rumors and more often than not we discover that the rumors we hear are just that – rumors, with no basis in reality.

Rumors can, in fact, have a devastating effect on a business.

Rumors about how a business is run, the business owner and even the employees can cost a business more than just money.

A single toxic employee can spread a rumor that will prevent other reliable people from applying for jobs because they believe the rumors to be true. A rumor about whether or not a business is financially stable can have a substantial effect on possible investors.

Even posting rumors on an anonymous Facebook page can damage a business.

Rumors are the one thing that will shatter the confidence of the public about a business, whether the rumors are based in fact or not.

Business owners use a great strategy to combat rumors as best they can. That strategy is being open and honest about what you may have heard. If you have heard a business is going to close, by all means, speak with the owner and find out for yourself rather than perpetuating a falsehood.

It is amazing how quickly a rumor can spread, especially in a small town. The fact that the ‘facts’ change with every telling is just like the child’s game of telephone where the end result is nothing like the original.

It is up to each of us to determine if something we hear is a rumor or a fact. We each have the responsibility to find out the truth before spreading the rumor any further.