The thing is, it (a) doesn’t have to be an actual story, just a hint or innendo, and (b) doesn’t have to have so much as a smidgen of truth to it. By the time the proof shows up that it’s untrue (if that happens), it’s too late. Everyone has already accepted the lie as part of “common knowledge.” (See: “Bush lied, people died” as an example of this.) If a retraction appears at all, it will be buried in the back pages.
The thing is, it (a) doesn’t have to be an actual story, just a hint or innendo, and (b) doesn’t have to have so much as a smidgen of truth to it. By the time the proof shows up that it’s untrue (if that happens), it’s too late. Everyone has already accepted the lie as part of “common knowledge.” (See: “Bush lied, people died” as an example of this.) If a retraction appears at all, it will be buried in the back pages.
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Agree. The good news is, this is February. Given our public’s attention span...it will be old news by April.