Sometimes you have to give credit where it is due. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got it right when he said speculation about recent events in Russia, with an apparent coup attempt, are “extremely counterproductive.”

Journalists and experts like to speculate. But sometimes it is better to wait for more information. Reports out of Russia regarding this past weekend’s incident have been (for lack of a better word) have been sketchy and contradictory.

I’ve seet reports suggesting it is the end of Vladimir Putin and the end of the Ukraine invasion. To me that is wild speculation with no supporting evidence. It moves not from A to B but jumps from A to D or E. It might be true – and could just as easily be completely false. The data is insufficient.

As a society we have become used to instant information. Weekly newspapers became daily, then radio and television sprang up, giving way to the internet and 24-hour programming. In order to keep advertisers happy, there must be *news,” even if there isn’t any.

If you have no facts, then speculate. Anything to fill the time and space. It doesn’t have to be accurate, it just needs to be there.

Prime Minister Trudeau may have learned from his own rather embarrassing comments in the past on breaking news stories. Sometimes, for politicians and journalists, speculation isn’t helpful.

So I think I’m going to follow his lead. Today’s post is not about what may have been an attempted coup in Russia, but about knowing when it is best to keep your mouth shut.

It is a lesson I need to learn. Maybe you do too.