It's been one of those weeks when rumours have flown round like they are going out of fashion and the Journal could have become what so many people tell us they want it to be ñ a gossip column.

According to your perspective on life and business, these pages are either fortunately or unfortunately not the place for idle conjecture. We might not go down the BBC route of insisting on three sources for every scoop, but that's because we're not in the business of outing, embarrassing or fingering people in our trade.

I don't believe that too many people would be happy if they appeared in a trade journal in dubious circumstances. Having been in the same class at school as a lad whose dad ñ the local scout master ñ was featured on the front of the News of the World after running off with his busty assistant, I can assure you it wasn't fun ñ for the lad anyway.

As md of the local dairy his dad was also page one material for the next week's trade journal, which was of course paraded around the playground. I'm always amazed by the number of people who think that trade media should play this role.

None of this week's rumours appear in these pages, but they will if they are confirmed as fact and substantiated by the correct people. It serves no-one if the Journal publishes hearsay, least of all us. With most rumours printed there is a victim. It might entertain temporarily ñ until that victim is you.