# 505
We've already had a couple of these here in the United States and Canada, but now this regrettable phenomenon appears to be spreading. I suppose we'd better brace ourselves for more of this nonsense.
Yesterday, the Revere's at Effect Measure wrote of a miscommunication/ hoax in the Maldives, which you can read about here.
Crof at Crofsblog, has details of another hoax in Sussex, UK, which you can read about here.
Two cautionary tales about not believing everything you hear, see, or read on the internet, or even in your newspaper.
There will always be a certain amount of disinformation out there. Some of it will come from the `fog of war', particularly early in any story. Some may even be an attempt by officials to downplay, or spin, the truth. That comes with the territory.
Alarming stories need to be taken with a large grain of salt until they are proven to be true. When I find one, I immediately go to sources I trust on the Internet, to see if they've picked up on it. Sometimes I may blog on it, with a strong advisory attached, but most of the time I simply wait and see if more information comes out.
It can be a tough call.
Flu watchers maintain a healthy level of skepticism when it comes to official denials. We need to apply the same standards to any story. The last thing we need are false alarms.
