Simon says, “Give people clear reasons and explanations whenever they ask for them.”
“Why?” is a question for which people want an answer that makes sense to them. If they do not get it, they will fill in their own answers. Having filled in the blank, they now have a do-it-yourself explanation for everything. People make sense of their environments, whether it has any relationship to reality or not. What is the result? There are many, usually conflicting explanations for anything that happens and nearly as many for things that do not happen and are not going to happen. Therein lies the source of the old rumor mill.
Even Simon cannot stop the rumor mill, as much as he would like to put it out of business. Gossip is a pastime to which people are addicted or at least seriously hooked. What he can do is be sure that anyone who is responsible enough to actually ask gets the straight scoop. That does not stop the rumor mill; but it does slow it down a little and can redirect it now and then. More importantly, if you bring your questions to Simon, you will get the honesty and respect you deserve. Not to give you reasons and explanations when you ask for them would be unacceptable, from Simon’s perspective.