<
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/world-war-ii-rumor-clinics-helped-america-battle-wild-gossip-180983883/>
"When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, its enemies
weren’t limited to the Axis powers of Germany, Italy and Japan. The nation also
faced an adversary at home: rumors that undermined morale, sowed distrust of
the U.S.’s laws and leaders, and turned Americans against each other based on
racial and religious differences.
In an era before the internet, social media, artificial intelligence and
ultra-partisan TV hosts, rumors could only spread the old-fashioned way, from
neighbor to neighbor. Many were planted by Axis propagandists, but others
appear to have originated with everyday citizens, frequently arising out of
their anxieties, suspicions, prejudices or simple misunderstandings. Whatever
was behind them, rumors were often detrimental to the Allies’ cause and, in the
worst cases, actually deadly.
While the government’s Office of War Information waged its own fight against
rumors, a grassroots movement took hold across the country to stop gossip at
its source. Over the course of World War II, more than 40 newspapers and
magazines in the U.S. and Canada started “rumor clinics” to debunk the lies and
fight back with facts.
Taking their name from medical clinics set up to battle tuberculosis and other
diseases, these clinics collected the latest war rumors from local citizens,
chose the most persistent ones, and assigned professional reporters or
volunteer “rumor wardens” in the community to fact-check them. The results of
these investigations would appear in the publication’s rumor clinic column,
often on the front page."
Via Esther Schindler.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
