ABSTRACT
Denials have a number of handicaps as to their value on the information supply and demand market. If the denials come from official authorities at a high level, it naturally becomes virtually necessary to print it. This is also true if it has deep social implications. Recent studies on rumors and denials show that one can be affected by arumor even if one does not believe it. Research on the effects of innuendo casts still more light on the problem of denials. Innuendos were certainly less persuasive than direct incriminations, but they nonetheless left a negative impression. An analysis of the effect of source credibility revealed that innuendos continued to have impact even when the source of the innuendo had low credibility. Recommending the use of credible sources to spearhead denials amounts to a statement of the obvious, but it is sometimes impossible to carry out.
