A bit of a query on the rumours

[Faseeh]

Hey, sorry to be a pain but a genuine (possibly stupid) question.

So, according to the 2016 SSMB Posting Code thread, we're not allowed to post false rumors and leaks for a very understandable reason. However, would that mean we are straight up restricted from discussing about any of this kinda buzz in any topic? Let's say the whole fanbase is hearing about this new Sonic 25th rumour and everyone's talking about it. Is there a place we can discuss it even if some part of it sounds fake and all that? :/ 

Personally all the leaks and funny little things that happened on the 20th anniversary were part of the fun in the hype train we had, so I was just curious if we'd just have to restrain from some action. Some of the bullshit is just a bit of fun basically. I understand that it's a lot more pain to manage the forums as staff members if there was drama due to the rumours and I am very appreciative that you guys do this, just for the love you have for the community, so don't get me wrong. 

Sorry again, and would love to get this query out of the way.

[Sean]

There's that 25th anniversary topic. But I think the real question is if anybody honestly believes that any of the rumors posted as of late have any discussion merit to them

[Faseeh]

Ah, okay so the 25th anniversary topic doesn't hold back rumours? 

Well, maybe not these rumors, but those to come possibly. Smash leak is a recent example of a rumor that had quite some discussion merit (or at least last I remember it did have that).

[Nepenthe]

The point of those rules is to stop trolls from trying to pull the wool over people's eyes and to curtail spam and duplicate threads from people more concerned about being first than being accurate. If something is posted by a reputable media outlet, is properly sourced, and is clearly marked as a rumor anyway, we're not going to halt the discussion because it's assumed they did their homework. At that point, it's considered actual news. It can change or not pan out, but we're not going to assume malicious intent or sloppiness on part of the member who posted it. You're even free to talk about rumors that are obviously false within reason, like Indigo's SA3 rumor, so long as there's a general understanding that it's a joke.

Basically, don't be a dick and don't spam the forums with the first "My uncle works for Sega" story you see. Read the full article, do your homework, corroborate stuff with TSS staff if you're unsure, and ultimately don't try to fool people. That's all we're asking.

EDIT: Confirmed leaks like in the case of Smash Bros. don't count under these rules as they are by definition not rumors. Same with the Gens and Sonic 4 leaks as that info was dumped directly from demos.