THE EDITOR, Sir:

In school we often did an exercise where all the students stood in a large circle or semi-circle. A message was then given to the first student who would whisper it to the next person and so on around the group. The last person in the chain would be asked to write out what was the information received, in order to compare it with the original message. More often than we would have liked, there were glaring discrepancies, and inevitable changes to what was conveyed, thereby causing and creating much humour or embarrassment for us the 'rumour-mongering' students.

In retrospect, the objective of this training in reading, listening and hearing, was to help us to become wise consumers of information which would bombard us in our lives on a daily basis and as we mature. This simple elementary school exercise has remained with me over these decades of my life.

Nowadays, as news travels around organisations and communities, it does not remain unaffected by its journey, whether that travelling is upwards, downwards or sideways. Similarly to the elementary classroom environment with a headmaster to guide students, one should expect that media-house managers (as gatekeepers and facilitators) dealing with the flow of information into the public system, should be able to apply intelligent judgement and resist the temptation to unwittingly become part of any rumour-chain.

We often find that the spreading of rumour, gossip or unauthenticated information only gives the people who originate them, a sense of unbridled power and control, albeit at the expense of their hapless victims.

I am, etc.,

SONIA CHRISTIE

Stewart Town, Trelawny