ABSTRACT

In the arsenal of tools used in political warfare, rumors have a number of advantages. First and foremost, they allow one to avoid exposing oneself directly: others speak in one's stead, becoming the willing or unknowing bearers of rumors. The source remains hidden, impenetrable, and mysterious. In the political realm as well, slander often derives from one's own political "friends." When it comes to local elections, the bipolarization and harshness of the competition are such that rumors come especially form the adversary's camp. The other main use of rumors in politics, as in business, is to feel out public opinion. It is a way of suggesting that one is interested in a certain portfolio or position of responsibility. The analysis of political rumors shows that such rumors amount to infinite variations on a small number of themes, seven as it turns out, that one might call the seven cardinal sins of rumors.