Did you hear that LoRusso’s was closing its doors after 22 years in business? Lies. LIES, I TELL YOU! Unfortunately, the false rumor keeps flaring up, probably owing to the short-attention-span theatre known as TV news.

Several weeks ago on Channel 5, a story about restaurant closings in the down economy was preceded by a “tease” from one of the anchors with the line “Local restaurant is in trouble” across the bottom of the screen. Unfortunately, the image behind the words was LoRusso’s, owing to the fact that owner Rich LoRusso is president of the local chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association and he often gets interviewed to comment on such stories.

More than a month later, people have continued to call Rich to find out if he’s closing. Here’s the good news: LoRusso’s is actually expanding, enlarging its bar and adding a stage for musical talent.

But the false impressions are a cautionary tale for all of us who write or broadcast professionally (or even blog for fun) about restaurants: A false rumor about a closing can have a very serious effect.

(I’m personally not immune to such mistakes: Due, I believe, to a badly worded press release that said a restaurant was “shutting its doors for dinner” — I’d have suggested either “shutting its doors,” which means closing, or “ceasing dinner service,” which would have been a h— of a lot clearer — I reported that the restaurant was closing. I put in a correction soon thereafter, but the damage was done. Luckily, the place seems to have survived in its lunch-only incarnation.)

The other editorial comment I’ll make is that the media (present company included) rarely does these kinds of stories well. TV is at the worst handicap because it has 1:30 to explain a very complex set of economic factors. Even though we ink-stained wretches have more room, the pressure to crank stuff out often leads to superficial reporting. Among the well-known recent closures, it’s just not accurate to boil down the reasons to “a bad economy.” Some restaurants fall behind in their taxes and then lose their all-important liquor licenses. Others are in the wrong place. Many are chronically undercapitalized. Some simply close because their owners are worn out from years and years of 72-hour weeks. But as closely held private businesses, they have no obligation to reveal publicly the real reasons they close, and they sometimes place the blame on viable causes (lots of talk about Highway 40 closure lately) that may or may not be the real causes.

One final point: While we’re on the subject of well-known facts that are in fact wrong, please remember that “The Restaurant” was reality TV and half the stuff on it was staged for the camera. A further fantasy was DiSpiritu’s weekly reminder that “90 percent of restaurants fail in the first year.” More likely, restaurants fail at only a slightly faster rate than small businesses as a whole.

Go eat at Rich LoRusso’s place the next chance you have. It’s great food, and he’s a really great guy. Tell him you read a media report that he was expanding.