History Main / NewsTravelsFast

[[capion-width-right:300:How is Anger already reading a newspaper about "No Dessert" before Riley's dad said anything about it?]]

* ''Film/CrazyExGirlfriend'': An influencer spots billionaire heir Nick Young at a restaurant with his girlfriend and snaps a photo. It spreads like wildire in the next few minutes and goes viral in Singapore. Nick's mother hears about it and calls him ''before Nick and Rachel have even finished eating''.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/illustration_by_c_e_brock_for_pride_and_prejudice___mrs_bennet_was_privileged_to_whisper_it_to_mrs_philips_1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Gossip travels quickly through the whisper network]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adam_and_eve_tintoretto.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Gossip travels quickly throught the whisper network.]]

* In ''Theatre/JasperInDeadland'', most of Deadland seems to learn about Jasper's ability to restore memories mere minutes after he himself learns about this power.

** However, he's not exactly wrong: In ''{{Literature/Pyramids}}'', prince Pteppic was very suddenly hit with several abilities of Djelibabian kings, including FeritleFeet, when his father died.

** However, he's not exactly wrong: In ''{{Literature/Pyramids}}'', prince Pteppic was very suddenly hit with several abilities of Djelibabian kings, including FertleFeet, when his father died.

* In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire'', there's a guy in Dewford Town who wants to know a trendy phrase. If you succeed in creating this amazing new phrase, everyone in the house above him will know, a picture about it will have been painted, a town event for it will be being planned, and there is licensed merchandise for it. All in the two seconds it takes for you to walk into the house.
** The remakes take it UpToEleven with whatever you do showing up on the updated Pokenav's newscast app. It's almost ParanoiaFuel to think about it though...

* [=RPGs=] with a KarmaMeter have their own version: most people will immediately be able to sniff you out as good or evil if you're far enough along on the scale (usually vaguely alluded to as "reputation"), but they'll often still deal with you.
** The same goes for factions as well, where if you become "hostile" with a faction, people who've never met you or don't even know what crime you've committed against them will now want you dead.

** Calling it "reputation" is misleading. If you do Something Evil but there is absolutely no way anyone else can find out, your reputation will still go down and everyone will still find out. Some mods attempt to correct the discrepancy by separating Reputation into two values: Reputation (what people think of you) and Virtue (how you actually act). It's possible with these mods to be a VillainWithGoodPublicity, or a hero with a ZeroPercentApprovalRating.

* {{Lampshaded}} in the first ''VideoGame/HarryPotter'' computer game. After catching the Remembrall and being made Gryffindor Seeker, the next part of the game involves you going to visit Hagrid. One of the first things he greets you with is, "Congratulations on making the Quidditch team! Word travels fast around Hogwarts."

* In ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'', if you mistakenly approve, deny or detain someone, your higher-ups are able to not only figure out that you've done so, but exactly what detail you overlooked, and issue a penalty ''before the person's even left the screen''. [[TropesAreTools However,]] the original idea was for mistakes to be notified at the end of the day or the beginning of the next one (and thus the player could be hit with a ton of penalties or even [[GameOver termination]] after thinking they had done everything right), so this can be considered [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality an improvement.]]

* In ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'', if you mistakenly approve, deny or detain someone, your higher-ups are able to not only figure out that you've done so, but exactly what detail you overlooked, and issue a penalty ''before the person's even left the screen''.

'''Pam''': Do you not know what "disease" means? Oh, sorry, [[TooSoon I forgot you might have]]--

You just defeated the BigBad? You rescued the passengers from the RunawayTrain? You won the championship fight at the battle arena? Well chances are that everyone will know, too.

When the hero accomplishes a task or a goal (or in the other direction, does something embarrassing or messes up badly), everyone he encounters will have known about it already and will praise/chastise the hero for what he did. Originally a [[VideoGameTropes video game trope]], but seen in other media.

Especially prevalent in [[CloseKnitCommunity military units]], both real and fictional.

** Calling it "reputation" is misleading. If you do Something Evil but there is absolutely no way anyone else can find out, your reputation will still go down and everyone will still find out.
** Some mods attempt to correct the discrepancy by separating Reputation into two values: Reputation (what people think of you) and Virtue (how you actually act). It's possible with these mods to be a VillainWithGoodPublicity, or a hero with a ZeroPercentApprovalRating.
* Steal an item from any shop and all other shopkeepers will inherently know that the item is stolen and refuse to buy it, even if it's something like a plain shortsword with no notable features. The only ones that will buy such items are "Fences" that specialize in legally-ambiguous goods anyway.

* In ''Disney/PocahontasIIJourneyToANewWorld'', the news of John Smith's [[spoiler:apparent]] death in the prologue somehow beats John Rolfe's ship across the Atlantic to Virginia, [[FridgeLogic despite the fact that news could only cross the ocean by ship in those days]]. In fairness, this is hardly the only way ''Pocahontas'' gave historical accuracy the finger.

-->'''Peter:''' You must be the new girl.
-->'''Denise:''' News travels fast.
-->[...]
-->'''Peter:''' So, do you have a boyfriend?
-->'''Denise:''' You must be this Peter Fox I've heard about.
-->'''Peter:''' ''(thinking to himself)'' Some news travels '''too''' fast...

'''Malory''': Pam! ([["DefensiveWhat What?"]]) What is wrong with you?\\

* In ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'', if you mistakenly approve, deny or detain someone, your higher-ups are able to not only figure out that you've done so, but exactly what detail you overlooked, ''and'' issue a penalty ''before the person's even left the screen''.