What We Think
Rumors surround us every day
Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: Forum
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Rumors, by definition, are talk or opinions that are widely disseminated with no discernible source.
Now, that is not to say that all rumors don't have merit. Actually, some of the best articles journalists have ever written were discovered by keeping ears to the street and thumbs on the pulse of their community.
However, where several journalists differ from the many within the general public is in the spreading of these unfounded baseless allegations.
For example, when The Meter catches wind of a rumor that is plausible, our first course of action is to begin fact finding process which, the majority time, either debunks or confirms said rumor.
So, when and if an individual gives a member of the staff a heads up or tip and then wonders why it wasn't followed up on, it probably was found to be untrue.
Of course, some don't even see the harm in such statements. The harm, however, is every bit real and detrimental.
Take, for instance, one rumor that continues to persist about TSU:
Over the years, due in large part to the Geier desegregation case and the ensuing merger of TSU with the now defunct UT-Nashville, individuals began to insist that TSU is no longer a HBCU.
Of course, anyone with half a ration of thought knows that one can never change the historical legacy of an institution.
For instance, the University of Notre Dame will always have its history as an institution founded for Catholics, as well as Brandeis for the Jewish.
Yet, for years going on decades, people continue to insist and tell others that TSU is no longer an HBCU. One person said it, it was across the nation to our HBCU peers and beyond.
To this very day, some continue to insist that the State of Tennessee is waiting wringing its hands waiting for the day when it can turn TSU into another branch of the UT system.
Oftentimes individuals who hear and spread rumors that may anger them, often simply serve as another host for a patently untrue statement rather than the cure.
Now, that is not to say that all rumors don't have merit. Actually, some of the best articles journalists have ever written were discovered by keeping ears to the street and thumbs on the pulse of their community.
However, where several journalists differ from the many within the general public is in the spreading of these unfounded baseless allegations.
For example, when The Meter catches wind of a rumor that is plausible, our first course of action is to begin fact finding process which, the majority time, either debunks or confirms said rumor.
So, when and if an individual gives a member of the staff a heads up or tip and then wonders why it wasn't followed up on, it probably was found to be untrue.
Of course, some don't even see the harm in such statements. The harm, however, is every bit real and detrimental.
Take, for instance, one rumor that continues to persist about TSU:
Over the years, due in large part to the Geier desegregation case and the ensuing merger of TSU with the now defunct UT-Nashville, individuals began to insist that TSU is no longer a HBCU.
Of course, anyone with half a ration of thought knows that one can never change the historical legacy of an institution.
For instance, the University of Notre Dame will always have its history as an institution founded for Catholics, as well as Brandeis for the Jewish.
Yet, for years going on decades, people continue to insist and tell others that TSU is no longer an HBCU. One person said it, it was across the nation to our HBCU peers and beyond.
To this very day, some continue to insist that the State of Tennessee is waiting wringing its hands waiting for the day when it can turn TSU into another branch of the UT system.
Oftentimes individuals who hear and spread rumors that may anger them, often simply serve as another host for a patently untrue statement rather than the cure.
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