As a contrary example, I once inadvertently started a false rumor that company-wide layoffs were looming.

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There could be a false rumor to this effect in Saudi Arabia.

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In the days before Snopes, let alone the ability for a false rumor to spread quickly in the digital domain, I was involved in another such misinformed groundswell movement perpetrated on a big-branded company.

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We so want to believe in a cure that we are prepared to believe every rumor, false lead, or half-baked study that suggests a solution is near.

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In fact, the rumor was false.

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When the rumor mill gets a'turnin' you're bound to have a few false-starts, and it seems the new black Xbox 360 meme is no exception.

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