This does not limit itself to the media. I know from another Mac publisher how Apple treats schools and gives them crap as well as delivery problems for matters that mature people can solve by a phone call. A few of you probably know my position about rumors. I discussed it at length at other sites, saying that I prefer to publish news and speculation rather than rumors. Yes I did.
Speculation is different from rumors.
With true speculation, there is no factual insider information about Apple products involved and frankly, speculation is an enjoyable exercise in most industries. Everybody discusses what could and should happen in the next year or so and nobody gets hurt. It is not the same as pretending to know anything from inside Apple about the next big thing. It seems that Apple views this differently. Just because publications dare to do things such as speculation, they are likely to pay the price in lack of advertising dollars.