When rumor has it (or not).

The article discusses how companies should manage their reputation and avoid being trapped in rumors. Companies have to scramble to find ways to manage their reputation, which brings a brand-new headache for brand guardians. In 2003, a news item on cable television misrepresented earnings of Federal Express Corp. (FedEx), suggesting that FedEx was not meeting Wall Street's expectations. Within a few minutes of the report, FedEx's stock dropped by nearly two dollars. FedEx subscribes to Critical Mention, one of the new breed of media monitoring services that keeps tabs on all mentions of a company in the news media. More than just clipping services, media monitoring and analysis are used not just by brand guardians, but also by public relations companies on behalf of their clients and those handling investor relations. Monitoring services are very attractive to companies that want to protect their reputation. They are sensitive to the fact that in a world where media is everywhere, information travels outside of the predictable channels.