A rumor gets across the school by lunch. The correction is still tying its shoes at the end of the day.

A rumour is built for travel and a correction is not. One is interesting and needs no proof; the other is boring, arrives later and asks people to give up a story they already enjoyed. That head start is why the repair almost never catches the damage, however true it is.

Before you pass something on, ask whether you know it or only heard it. If a story about someone reaches you, let it stop there unless you can check it. Being the person who does not forward things is a small and real kind of protection.