This is Rumor Control. Here are the facts.
First placed into the mass media during a scene in Alien 3, Rumor Control is the official Word from on high- either a press release, stated fact, or any medium for canon.
Currently, few venues for Rumor Control recognize their true role- that of controlling the rumors. Any tidbit or half-truth can spread into full-fledged lies when exposed to the masses. An organization would do well to have a public face for their Rumor Control division, sometimes known as Public Relations. If it will be done by the uneducated public, it might as well be done authorized and in-house.