TJ Walker explains why denying rumors can backfire: repeating "product is unsafe" in your denial spreads the harmful phrase further. Instead, avoid restating the rumor's language, stick to verifiable facts, and only respond when a rumor actually gains traction.
Ultimize. Here's one of the hardest things to do in a modern crisis. You see something online that's completely wrong. It's spreading fast, and your instinct is to jump in and correct it immediately. That instinct can get you into trouble because the moment you repeat the rumor, even to deny it, you introduce it to people who might not have seen it. You give it more oxygen. You make it more visible, and in some cases, you Your response becomes the reason it spreads even further. Let me give you a very specific example. A company sees a rumor online that its product is unsafe. The leadership team panics and issues a statement that says, 'Our product is not unsafe and there is no danger to consumers.' Sounds reasonable, but now the phrase 'product is unsafe' is everywhere. People who never saw the original rumor now see your response. And many of them do not read very carefully. They just see the association: product, unsafe, danger. Uh-oh. You just helped that rumor travel. A smarter approach is to respond without repeating the language of the rumor. You focus on what is true. You say, our product meets all safety standards and is used safely by millions of customers every day. Now that clip might spread, it might not, but if it does spread, it's about safety and usage and not the accusation. If it doesn't spread, you didn't make anything worse. Another mistake people and corporations make is responding to every rumor out there. You can't do that. Some rumors are small and will disappear on their own. If you respond to all of them, you elevate them. You turn minor noise into major issues. You have to be selective. You respond when something is gaining traction, when it's credible, or when it's starting to influence perception in a meaningful way. If the world's largest podcaster is talking about you in a negative way, yeah, you gotta respond. If some guy with a Substack newsletter and 2 subscribers says something nasty, you can ignore that. When you do respond, you do it on your own terms. You don't repeat the rumor. You don't validate the framing. You simply reinforce what is accurate and relevant. In today's environment, you're not just correcting misinformation. You're deciding whether to amplify it or contain it. That decision matters just as much as the message itself.
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