Rumour: n. 1. general talk or hearsay of doubtful accuracy.
Real newspapers do not print rumours and most certainly never as a news item. While there may be a bit of leeway in the editorials for rumours, rumours have no place on a page where someone might take it as fact.
Those who are trained in journalism, learn very quickly what is ethical and what is not. Rumours can and will lead to law suits, tarnished reputations and huge legal fees.
There is a reason why some information takes a long time to become public and speculation often runs rampant before rumours are confirmed. There is always “some” truth in rumours, but if you use just Sooke as an example, things can get pretty muddied before there is confirmation. The same story goes around and around and it does not become more accurate at each telling, it gets less accurate.
On another note, this paper has been accused of being against our volunteer firefighters. This is untrue and one has to wonder who is spreading that rumour. We do ask questions, that’s our job. What we do question, at times, is spending by the fire department (and other departments). We question issues when they are brought to our attention by those who pay the taxes.
District expense items are no longer behind closed doors, and most can be justified, so there is no longer a need to shoot the messenger.