Lately I have grown tired and weary with all the Internet rumors and then the subsequent “waiting for confirmation from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety” line. There are only a few things Internet rumors can do:
- Bring whatever site is posting the rumor TONS of hits.
- Make whatever site is posting the rumor look STUPID if their rumor is wrong.
…or…
Really, these are the two options and most often times once the “confirmation” comes out from Variety or The Hollywood Reporter no one even remembers the source of the rumor. This method of waiting for confirmation also only makes the rumored information look bad and shows a lack of confidence.
Recently there has been a rash of remake rumors spreading all over the Internet and then, the traditionally faithful, LatinoReview has been carrying on for about a week now that J.J. Abrams is off the Star Trek XI project and now they say he is going to do something called Cloverfield. Battling the rumor is a tag-team comprised of Ain’t It Cool News editor Harry Knowles and J.J. himself, this time responding to this latest rumor saying, “Latino Review is getting more bad intel… I am not off Trek!”
I have stayed clear of this one only because I get tired of posting a rumor filled article only to have to post a second article saying that the previous rumor has been proven false. In the case of this article it simply serves as an example.
Does this mean I think it is bad biz to post rumors? Hell no, I will continue to post information on rumors if they somehow stir something inside me. I recently tackled the “Who is going to replace Katie Holmes?” rumors and then the rumor that Tom Cruise is going to star in a movie with Ben Stiller. These are fun when they can be poked at, but to beat a dead horse such as the “Who is going to be the Joker?” question (a question I should say LatinoReview was the first to answer and answer correctly) gets old and tiring and was really the last major rumor I attempted to follow on this site.
My main reason for posting this article is because in the early days of RopeofSilicon I was personally burned on a few bad rumors I published. Information begins in an article saying “I got this rumor,” which is then interpreted and picked up by every other site saying, “RopeofSilicon has said that…” with the key word “rumor” being omitted. It takes only one article like this to turn the whole world upside down as online reporting has gone from actual websites to the world of the ever powerful blogger, which is a place where accurate reporting is never king. However, we all must admit they are fun to read.
Maybe it is just me, but online rumors just give me a headache and I guess they are needed to boost forum discussions, but when it comes down to it I would much rather appreciate confirmed facts.
