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World View: Disinformation and black propaganda are as old as armed conflict itself, and the internet has only increased the opportunities to spread the fog of war

“Rumour" used to have a bad reputation. In Shakespeare's plays it is assumed that "rumours" mean artful lies and the spreading of detailed but false accounts of victory and defeat. No journalist could credibly tell of massacre, torture and mass arrests, citing "strong rumours" as the sole evidence for the story. Editors at whatever newspaper, television or radio station the reporter worked on would shake their heads in disbelief at such a vague and dubious source and almost certainly refuse to run it.But suppose that our journalist takes out the word "rumour" and substitutes "YouTube" or "blogger" as the source. Then, going by recent experience, editors will nod it through, possibly commending their man or woman for judicious use of the internet. The BBC and other television stations happily run nightly pictures of mayhem from Syria, grandly disclaiming responsibility for their authenticity.