History teaches us we have to keep a close eye on ‘Rumour Factory’

THE TV licence inspector knocked at the door, seeing as the bell was broken. There’s hardly a house in Ireland where the bell works. The broken bell excuse is a great escape from unwanted callers. The broken bell was as sure an indicator of guilt as a big electricity bill in grow houses. The man of the house opened up.

“Have you a television licence?” asked the inspector, who was only doing his job. “No I have not. I have no such a thing,” replied the door opener.

The TV licence man, who had a crick in his neck and may well have had a claim for repetitive strain injury said, accusatorily: “But you have an aerial on the roof.”

“I’ll be back in a minute,” said the man who was asked to produce the licence.

Did he escape out the window at the rear of the house and condemn himself to a life on the run. Is he guilty?

Back came the man, who stood his ground to the front door and he was holding a milk carton in either hand.

“Do you see the milk cartons there?” he asked. “I see them,” replied the inspector, who was trained to notice things, pertinent or otherwise.

“Well,” said the man under investigation, “I have milk cartons but I don’t own a cow, do I?” Life ain’t ever what it seems.

It was in the worst of the last recession and the only industry around these parts that thrived was ‘The Rumour Factory’. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (FIT) ensured the Rumour Factory remained open 24/7.

The shift workers were steadfast. The production line never stopped. And men and women were the victims of what has become fake news from malicious, political and plain ordinary rumour mongers.

Now if I were to write here X is sleeping with Y, and it was a lie, well then the Irish Independent would be sued and even worse again, so would I.

But all FIT have to do is to issue a disclaimer and they seem to be off the hook. Their defence is we are not telling the lie. It’s like the gun dealer saying I didn’t shoot him.

Why should Facebook and Twitter users be allowed to publish and disseminate lies? You may just click like. Delve and investigate. Don’t shoot. Ask first and wait a while until the story unfolds. Just because the story has been told in public or because the story is repeated ad nauseam doesn’t mean it is true.

The word nauseam means sickening. And repetition of the lie is the stock in trade of the liar.

There is a massive imbalance here. The Irish Independent is Ireland’s biggest newspaper but in terms of circulation and financial clout we are dwarfed by FIT, who no doubt have helped bring many people together in a positive and beautiful way.

I love the way older people have embraced FIT. No one needs to be alone any more.

The platforms also give a voice to political groups who may have difficulties in getting their views published in mainstream media. The views of the far left have never had a better airing, and rightly so.

We need to strike a balance. Facebook is more difficult to police than a newspaper. There should be an early warning system in place and reporting abuse must me made easier, with quick response times.

That’s the big wide world but the story of the man and woman who are supposed to be having an affair in a town near here is known to me.

The couple, and they are a couple, spend a lot of time together. They were seen holding hands. He was crying at the time. She is married. Guilty or what?

The man in the relationship is gay and his female friend was helping him to get around to telling his elderly father who voted “no” in the marriage referendum.

The dad was prone to calling gay people “queers”. The son loved his dad and as he was an honest man he wanted his dad to know the real him.

I knew the true story from the gay man. I heard the rumours but was sworn to secrecy. So I asked the Rumour Factory operative if she was there at the point of impact.

I asked her if she was there when they were having the sex they never had?

HER reply was: “There’s no smoke without fire.” The phrase is silly in itself. Have you tried to get smoky, wet turf to blaze? And how is smoked salmon cured? But, more importantly, the phrase is the easy way out for the lazy.

I was honoured to be asked to speak at the history teachers’ annual conference just a few months ago.

The teachers are horrified at the downsizing of history. Our young adults must be taught how to check out sources and the veracity of news stories.

The education system is lagging so far behind the realities of the world we live in.

This deliberate neglect of history is the worst decision ever in Irish education. History must be made compulsory.

The fate of our country will be left to the ruthless and unscrupulous, who will disseminate false information.

We are giving birth to a generation who will have been denied access to the forensic skills needed to pick out the lie and the half-truth. Goebbels, the Nazi PR man, would have loved the new Ireland, where the demagogue will shout down the scholar.

But the responsibility lies with each one of us. Check out the facts and then comment.