Often, the execs end up trolling the Internet for rumormongering and negative chatter so they can steer the conversation in a more positive direction.

FORBES: Crowd Control

And although the Drudge Report has been guilty of some rumormongering, there is no evidence that Matt Drudge--or any other online journalist--has ever made up a story out of whole cloth, like The New Republics Stephen Glass.

FORBES: The trust paradox

Oh, and there's a second semi-related part to all this rumormongering: Think Secret reports that Apple is one of several companies fixing to buy HipSolve Media, a small startup which offers a Windows Media-based solution for record labels to distribute DRM'd music downloads directly to consumers, bypassing online shops like the iTunes Music Store.

ENGADGET: Apple planning subscription version of iTunes? Depends on how badly do you want to believe��