The past few days, since I started the Do's and Don't's thread, I have been swamped with emails and PMs about the horse incident.
First, I need to thank all those who contacted me directly with all the rumors that they heard or read. Secondly, I am following up all the private contacts with this one post rather than addressing each one individually. I feel that others may be interested, but did not private me.
Immediately after the incident, we spoke with several police officers who were at the scene. They told us there were minor injuries, maybe a sprained or broken wrist, but nothing life threatening. Since then, we could not get much more information to verify anything.
Today in the Observer there is an article about the incident. The initial police info we received seems to be correct as the injuries are described as "muscle injuries". We were hoping that the visitor was not hurt worse and it seems that our prayers were answered.
http://m.jamaicaobserver.com/news/to...=MobileArticle
But that brings me to the private contacts that I received. Apparently on FB the Negril rumor mill went to town. It seems a rumor started that the visitor had a broken back and/or a broken hip. It was also claimed that the visitor was from England. Last I checked, Mississippi was not part of the British Commonwealth.
Upon receiving the urgent and justifiably upset private contacts, we replied back to those that asked with what we knew as the truth. Most thanked us for the update and accepted it as we all waited for more facts to come out.
But a couple wrote back with scathing replies that we were hiding the truth and manipulating the Jamaican media. It seems that some people just cannot accept the fact that not all news is bad. And while flattering, there is no way that a Negril website can control the entire Jamaican news media.
What happened is not a joke situation. A visitor was injured. She was not seriously hurt but for her family and friends being subjected to reading that she had a broken hip and/or broken back, this is torture for them.
If there is one thing that is becoming obvious about "news" on social media, it can be manipulated and it can spread false news at the speed of light.
When an incident happens in Negril, for us to try and hide it is not only impossible but stupid as a business practice. We will always take a stand against the irresponsible rumors that can have unintended consequences.
Imagine if you had a family member from England in Negril, who likes horses, and read "news" on FB that someone from England broke their back falling from a horse on the beach. This false information would send you into a panic until you were able to contact your family member.
FB has proved once again how much needless trouble it can cause. The Negril Rumor Mill is bad enough as it is. Let's all try not to add fuel to the fire, remember that there are real people involved and not spread rumors as fact.
If you ever feel the need to find out what is happening in Negril, please feel free to ask here. You will not receive rumor, speculation or opinion, but you will receive all the facts that are available at the time.
