Aristotle is traditionally credited with postulating the theory that nature abhors a vacuum. While modern astrophysicists might quibble with that assertion, the theory remains absolutely valid when it comes to information because whether one is referring to government announcements or domestic gossip, in the absence of accurate information the void is often filled with speculation of dubious accuracy.
Two events in the UAE this week have demonstrated this. One was the death of a 35-year-old woman who landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport from Nigeria. The origin of the flight in a country struggling with an Ebola outbreak, the relative youth of the passenger and her symptoms consistent with the disease inevitably led to speculation that Ebola had arrived in the UAE.
The Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD) acted entirely appropriately to quarantine the woman's husband, who was the only person sitting near her on the flight, and the medical team who attended her. Equally importantly is that after assessing the cause of death, which turned out to be advanced cancer rather than Ebola, HAAD immediately publicised its findings via the state news agency, Wam, quashing the speculation.
Similarly, rumours had been circulating in the UAE that Lipton tea products contained hallucinogenic substances. This kind of silly rumour is a symptom of the modern media environment where social media and sites like YouTube are bypassing the mainstream media as a way information is spread. This also bypasses journalistic tests of accuracy.
It would have been easy for this absurd rumour to continue to spread but the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority stepped in, tested Lipton products and then announced definitively that the claim had no veracity.
In each case, the public had legitimate reasons to be concerned. But equally there was a need for accurate and reliable information to be delivered quickly to assuage such concerns. The active response by these two authorities allowed the vacuum to be filled with good information, chasing out the bad.
