bush telegraph
Informal information network
Bush telegraph is an informal network through which news, rumors, or gossip spread rapidly by word of mouth.
The term originated in Australia, referring to how information traveled through remote outback communities despite the lack of formal communication.
Now used more broadly for any grapevine or unofficial channel: I heard through the bush telegraph that they're getting divorced.
Speech without full voice
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- scuttlebuttInformal rumor or speculation
- tittle-tattleTrivial, idle chatter
- rumorUnconfirmed circulating story
innuendo · grapevine · chatter · buzz · word-of-mouth · chinwag · natter · chitchat
Message-conveying cue
- drumsStruck membrane instruments
- drumbeatRhythmic percussion sound
- smoke signalsFlame-based distant messaging
- relayStage-by-stage transmission
spread · convey · pass along · network · dispatch · transmission · message · alert
Not formally recognized
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- back-channelCovert diplomatic route
- off-the-recordNot for attribution
- covertIntentionally concealed
clandestine · unverified · inside information · off-grid · grassroots · community · local · tribal
Distant or controller
- ruralOf the countryside
- isolatedSeparated from others
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- stationFixed stopping point
stockman · drover · frontier · backcountry · homestead · outstation · jackaroo · mustering
whisper
Speech without full voice
- hearsayUnverified secondhand information
- scuttlebuttInformal rumor or speculation
- tittle-tattleTrivial, idle chatter
rumor · innuendo · grapevine · chatter · buzz · word-of-mouth · chinwag · natter · chitchat · talebearer
signal
Message-conveying cue
- drumsStruck membrane instruments
- drumbeatRhythmic percussion sound
- smoke signalsFlame-based distant messaging
relay · spread · convey · pass along · network · dispatch · transmission · message · alert · warning
unofficial
Not formally recognized
- undergroundBelow ground or countercultural
- back-channelCovert diplomatic route
- off-the-recordNot for attribution
covert · clandestine · unverified · inside information · off-grid · grassroots · community · local · tribal · village
remote
Distant or controller
- ruralOf the countryside
- isolatedSeparated from others
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
station · stockman · drover · frontier · backcountry · homestead · outstation · jackaroo · mustering · Australian
bush telegraphofficial channels
Authorized pathways for requests
mainstream media · mass media · press release · public announcement · public address
bush telegraphwire service
Organization distributing news widely
news wire · breaking news · live broadcast · simulcast · national broadcast
bush, telegraph, bushes, bushed, bushy, bushland, bushman, telegraphs, telegraphed