I grew up in a world where editors could make the rules. "We don't report rumors" was one of them.
Those days are gone now, and reporting on rumors is one of the major shifts for professional journalism. No, we shouldn't repeat them -- at least not unchallenged. We have a responsibility to correct them. It's part of that "guides, not gatekeepers" thing.
Today the Los Angeles Times is cleaning up a mess: anti-immigration bloggers are quoting 10 "facts" about immigration, allegedly from the LAT, but in reality just another politically motivated hoax.
The Internet gives rumor and falsehood the same acceleration that it gives the truth. It's our responsibility to take advantage of the tool it gives us to listen -- and where we discover lies being circulated, to act.
Speaking truth to power isn't just about confronting the government and big corporations. As the Internet shifts power to individuals, we need to be speaking truth to the blogosphere as well.