In a lot of ways Newton County reminds me of where I grew up. It’s full of small communities where the people all know, help and support one another. In this time of national crisis, we’ve seen that. We’ve seen our friends and neighbors go above and beyond to sew masks, move church and school online and ensure those without don’t get left behind.
Unfortunately, like my hometown, Newton County’s communities also have the downsides small-town living brings, including a thriving rumor mill. Now, of course, rumors are spread via Facebook instead of the salons and shops that used to be the best places to pick up gossip. The migration to digital communication, however, has done nothing to stop the flow of hearsay.
Mississippi hadn’t had its first case of Covid-19 a day before the local rumor mill started prophesying the Piggly Wiggly would shut down, despite the fact Mr. Ogletree was, and still is, moving heaven or hell to keep the community stocked up with food and other necessities.
Next, it was how all students would be held back, forced to repeat the grade they were in. Of course, at that time our superintendents, who were working diligently to provide students with online learning opportunities, were still waiting for Mississippi Department of Education to release guidelines on how to finish up the year.
Last week, residents were upset Walmart would be barring children from its stores. The City of Forrest passed a resolution prohibiting children from entering essential businesses during the Covid-19 outbreak, and someone decided to take advantage of that to earn themselves some fake internet points by proclaiming all Walmarts would follow suit.
Folks, I get it. We’re all flying blind here. There’s a lot of fear, a lot of confusion and quite a bit of animosity as we try to do what modern society demands we do – find someone to blame.
However, spreading rumors and even sharing unverified information isn’t helpful. In fact, it’s downright harmful. Besides the additional stress placed on everyone by such careless acts, rumors also do lasting harm to our local economy.
If residents believe a local store is closing, they’ll shop somewhere else. That hurts the business owner, the employees and their families and the town. How much tax revenue will our county miss out on because someone wanted attention on the internet? Which road won’t get repaved because that money is gone? Which one of our friends and neighbors will have to replace a tire because that pothole didn’t get patched?
This Covid-19 crisis is new, and it’s scary. It’s okay to admit we’re scared, feel helpless or don’t have all the answers. It is not okay to spread rumors, use this time to get back at others or try to exploit of our community’s vulnerability for personal gain.
By all means, use Facebook to stay in touch, share inspiring stories and laugh at the new memes, but please, please use common sense before sharing wild claims about what is and isn’t going to happen. And, if you’re unsure if a business is closing or changing the rules, call and ask them.
If all else fails, call me, and I’ll do what I can to check it out.
Thomas Howard is the managing editor of The Newton County Appeal. He can be reached at thoward@newtoncountyappeal.com
