“Un Bruit de Frayeur Se Répand”: Informal Communication Networks and the Creation of Rumour

Abstract

“‘Un bruit de frayeur se répand’: Informal Communication Networks and the Creation of Rumour”, explores the ways in which news was transmitted, consumed and shared. Using the relationship between oral and print culture as its starting point, this chapter looks at the ways in which the commercial imperatives of a competitive press contributed to rumours through its vendors’ sales techniques—either intentionally, as a way to boost sales, or as an unintentional consequence of unreliable sources of information. It also considers the role of letter writing in perpetuating rumour, and the relationship between personal letters and newspaper accounts in reporting of contemporary events.