I was sick of so many people claiming that ALL rumors by FLG or whoever are true. The fact is that most rumors are still fake rumors. Only a tiny fraction of those "prediction" turned out to be true. Those stupid guys lied so many times, it is quite possible that some turned out matching the truth. However, liars are still liars even if their lies match the truth once a while.
For example, an idiot can say "there will be World War 3". If it does not happen today, there is tomorrow. If not tomorrow, there will the day after tomorrow.
When you think about those coincident matching of rumors to truth, do not forget the majority of lies. Let's exam the death of Heywood. After the death is first reported, there are tons of rumors with vivid details. Now people are saying that the rumors are accurate. Are you kidding me? We do not even know the truth yet.
Let's look at another example. Since Wang went to Beijing, there have been many predictions about Bo: 1) he will be promoted 2) he will stay where he is 3) he will get a job without much power 4) he will retire 5) he will lead a revolution 6) he will be arrested 7) ... When you tried all possibilities, one of them will be true.
I have trouble understanding why so many people like to post lies and rumors on the internet. Are they all paid by some organizations? I do not know. Some might just enjoy doing predictions in order to show how smart they are. Some people are simply shameless liars. Although each person has the right to do whatever they like within the laws, we should always have a clear mind and be able to tell the truth from rumors.
The most effective way to reduce rumors is to reveal the truth as quickly as possible. In a society with free press, rumors will likely be overwhelmed by honest reporting.
