Editorial - It's FUD time in Oberon

February 19, 2026

The acronym FUD came out of the computer industry a few years ago (it had been around for a long time but became a major marketing tactic in about 1975). It stands for "Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt" and was a technique used to denigrate a company or idea by simply generating mistrust rather than by using real, cogent arguments. Facts don't matter, only perceptions.

There was an outbreak of FUD in Oberon on Wednesday, February 18, when a post appeared on Facebook suggesting that Oberon is about to face a significant public health threat and that the company responsible is evasive and won't answer questions. In reality, there is no threat to health from this direction in Oberon either now or in the future and the company involved had publicly answered all the questions in December and provided assurance that the minor problem in Victoria triggering the scare had been fixed.

I commented on the post, pointing out that the questions had been answered, that there was no danger to Oberon and that spreading disinformation is not a good strategy.

I contacted a representative the company being misrepresented and they told me that they could see the original post but not my comment. When I checked for myself I found that not only had my comment been removed but I had been completely blocked from the page.

I've found from long experience that people who can't refute criticism run away and hide. They make sure that their followers don't even see any counter arguments or criticism. By maintaining an echo chamber they can pretend that there is universal support for their position and nobody disagrees with them. It's an environment where FUD and disinformation flourish and the truth dies.

One of the functions of journalism is to seek and publicise the truth. People spreading mis- and disinformation don't like this, but that's their problem, not mine

Then there's that old saying about heat and kitchens. And that line from the film A Few Good Men - "You can't handle the truth".