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Anatomy of a Rumor

After Hurricane Katrina, stories surfaced of shots fired on rescue helicopters and murders in the Superdome. Many of the stories turned out to be false. How do rumors get started -- and is there any way to control them?

Guests:

George Pawlaczyk, reporter for the Belleville News-Democrat, in Illinois

Nick Difonzo, associate professor of psychology at Rochester Institute of Technology

Jeff Stier, associate director for the American Council on Science and Health

Fred Koenig, professor of social psychology at Tulane University

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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