Weird headline, but it seems that Sony has learned a few things from the Bush Administration about how to handle the press: If you don't like what it's doing, shut it down.

As you probably know from multiple reports, GDC founder Jamil Moledina let forth recently that PS3 owners will be "very happy" after hearing Phil Harrison's next week's conference keynote address.

This started a huge amount of crazy speculation. And why woudn't it? It was tantalizing. It was juicy. What, oh what, could make owners of the most expensive and generally underwhelming console ever made "very happy," short of sending each owner an extra-large pizza and a life's supply of beer?

We all want the PS3 to reach its full potenitality, and this sure sounded like Sony was finally going to pay off on the promises that its new console would rock our worlds!

Kotaku joined in the spec-u-thon, but being a large news site, it had enough mojo to get deeper and find more people to dish a little dirt on what exactly this great news will be. And they got wind of a a "rumor" from an anoymous source that it would be "PlayStation Home," a new graphical interface system.

As a responsible news site, Kotaku contacted Sony to comment on the rumor. That's what you do when you get a rumor. You ask for comment and expect that, at the very least, you get a "no comment."

But Kotaku got more than that. It got war.

In an email to Kotaku, David Karakker, senior director of Sony's corporate communications, wrote that Sony is "very disappointed that after trying to work with you as closely as possible and provide you and your team with access and information, you chose to report on this rumor. ... I can't defend outlets that can't work cooperatively with us."

And since then, according to Kotaku and reports in Joystiq, Sony has essentially frozen out Kotaku. Not just in this matter, but in all matters of news. It won't return Kotaku's phone calls. It won't offer any input or contact with one of the largest and most viewed gaming-news sites in the world.

Apparently, in Sonyworld (tm), "work cooperatively" means "take what we give you, print it, and don't ask questions."

Why is this reminicent of the Bush Adminstration? Because this most recent presidential adminstration has been charged with exactly the same thing for years. Reporters who are doing their job -- reporting news -- but not doing it in exactly the way that the admistration prefers pretty much get nothing from the Press Office. You lose access, and especially in the White House Press Corps, access is your lifeblood.

In fact, it's a pretty good way to control bad press. But it's also a really good way to make whatever entity you are -- be it the White House or an electronics company -- look pretty slimey. The press will distrust the hell out of you and resent the hell out of you, and that only makes the public who reads their articles distrust you, too.

There's been a growing culture of mistrust of and retaliation against those whose jobs it is to give you, the consumer, as much information as possible.

Maybe it's because my wife is a reporter, but since when did reporters who don't regurgitate press releases become the enemy? Since when is it a crime to actually research and try to get a "scoop," and then take the professional, responsible step to follow up to get the true and accurate story? And, worse yet, doesn't Sony's actions send a message to any gaming writer who gets a little dish on the company to not follow through and do the responsible thing: Give the subject a chance to comment?

What does an action like this say to me about Sony? They're not to be trusted. Do you see Steve Jobs freezing out the San Francisco Chronicle or New York Times because they -- accurately -- speculated that the big annoucment at this year's MacWorld was the iPhone?

No. Why? Because it only brought more excitement to the annoucement. When you leak "big news" information, you expect someone is actually going to try to figure out what the big news is.

If you don't want reporters asking questions, then keep your damn mouth shut.

Why is Sony being such dickheads? Because Sony likes complete and utter control. Rather than just offer a "no comment" and move on, Sony decided to retaliate against Kotaku for doing its job.

And what does it say about Sony? It says that it will only work with people who tow the party line and make no waves. So, pretty much, everything Sony says and anything Sony allows to be printed can be considered bullshit. Because if they won't talk to reporters who are being responsible and doing their jobs, then you have to ask yourself what kind of ass-kissing brown-nose do you have to be to get Sony to talk to you.

But beyond that, it also shows how amazing stupid Sony's public-relations department is. Much excitement churned when "big news" was rumored to be coming out at Phil's keynote. Now, that fun has been killed, or at least tinged with a edge of distaste. And suspicion.

Sony, how can we trust that your big, great, new feature is any good when you pretty much kill off anyone who commits the grevious crime of speculating and trying to confirm a "rumor."

So, nice job, Sony. You managed to take something I for one was looking forward to at this year's GDC and fuck it up.

You might want to consider the pizza/beer idea, because short of that, your big news won't be as earth-shattering now as it could have been if you hadn't been such assholes.