Paroxysms of rumors on the Cuban dictator's demise periodically sweep through the Cuban community in South Florida and reach The Miami Herald, putting the newspaper in an uncomfortable position. How do you report rumors that may or may not be true?

You don't, is the usual answer. But a dilemma is created because hard information on not just Fidel Castro's health, but anything inside the Cuban government, is hard to come by. In its lack of openness, Cuba is just another paranoid dictatorship.

The Herald has been on standby for the eventuality of Castro's death for years, regularly updating its coverage plans. But that has its own danger. Like race horses, the newspaper's reporters and editors are pushing at the gate and can be tempted to jump the gun.

Reporting any news on the 80-year-old Castro understandably is playing with fire among Cuban exiles in South Florida. The concern is such that local police have their own plans of what to do in the event of his death, even if it happens on an island 90 miles away.

''You don't want to create a panic,'' reporter Liza Gross told me of the Herald's responsibility. ``People here can react very emotionally.''

The latest rumors fell on the desks of Gross and Frances Robles. Some readers wrote to complain that the stories only served to play up the rumors. ''This is not news!'' posted one. ``None of this matters to anyone outside Hialeah.''

But I think the reporters' treatment was a model of responsible reporting, writing and editing on a story that is of great importance to a large part of The Miami Herald's readership, if not the nation. Even though he is sick and it is unclear how much direct power he continues to wield, the passing of Castro is not just of historical significance, but may finally spark the beginning of democratic transition in Cuba and a thaw between it and the United States.

Their story deftly walked a fine line of reporting what was known and not known, and did not exaggerate either. There was enough smoke for the editors to play the story on Page One, though they appropriately put it below the fold. Three follow-up stories the next day looked suspiciously like a funereal package, but Herald editors wisely didn't go further or indulge in more speculation. They set the story aside.

On Wednesday, Argentine President Cristina Kirchner broke the suspense. In the first public news of him since the beginning of the year, she emerged from a visit with Castro and told a press conference: ``I thought he looked very well.''

The Herald ran the Kirchner story by Robles on the inside -- and there is nothing to regret.

The original story still holds up well.

STICKING TO FACTS

The Herald never reported that Castro may already be dead, as some rumors held, and there was more than enough evidence to indicate that he may be seriously sick, possibly even on his deathbed. He still may be. He has been living in a hospital for some time. No pictures of him had been released since mid-November. He had not written any of his customary essays since mid-December, had issued only a one-liner at the beginning of the year and did not meet with two visiting presidents earlier this month.

The headline on the original story read: ''U.S. keeps eye on Castro's shaky health.'' The reporters began carefully, with good perspective: ``Cuba watchers from Miami to Washington were on high alert Tuesday, reacting to widely circulating but vague reports that Fidel Castro's health had taken a serious turn for the worse.''

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