The web can be just so deceptive. Think about it. If you just hear a rumor the old fashioned way, its easy to question the validity. Don't you usually at least ask the bearer "Who told you...how did they know?". And, most often, you KNOW the bearer!
But if the info comes in an email or on a web page, it sneakily inherits some of that validity and reputableness we normally attribute to things in print - good reliable print. We expect things in print to have some content quality controls. Even the trashiest bit in the most ridiculous tabloid has some reporter who made a few $$ for the piece, and they technically have to have some kind of source, other than their immagination, for the information. The information can be tracked one way or another. Not so on the web.
When you see web hype, don't view it as you would an article in a decent newpaper, or even as a rumour from a co-worker. It doesn't even have the inherent validity of the trashiest tabloid piece you ever read. If you wouldn't take it to heart off a tabloid, you need to be even less willing to do it from electronic media. Its totally anonymous, and the content is totally uncontrolled.