In a community disaster several major uilities could be disrupted including communications. Rumors are the unfortunate offspring of disasters. Stress levels among victims and care providers is high. Rumors start quickly and spread like an epidemic. Get information necessary to perform tasks assigned, do not encourage or spread unsubstantiated information.
Rumors can be a barrier to the effective treatment of victims.
The media has the job of reporting to the public. Media persons are not the enemy of health providers, they simply have a different job. However, health care providers must protect patient confidentiality. All hospitals have a process for one department to deal with the media. The media loves the personal story of victims and others, and have been known to attempt interviews with any available staff, volunteer, student.