Usually when we mention a rumor about a rumor here, the denials and/or better information come hurtling towards our inbox. Not so, in the case of the hush-hush chit-chat that online mag Slate is for sale. No secret missives from Hotmail accounts about what an idiot I am, no official denials, just suspicious, suspicious silence. It's what we like to call "silent but deadly."

Partly to blame is Slate's very secretive culture — after all, Slate probably circulates more confidential emails amongst its staff than any other publisher. But still — I smell something funky, and it's not Slate media "columnist" Jack Shafer's dance moves.