To Techcrunch : We Take Bribes
By Joe
Today Techcrunch made a public apology to its readers regarding a writer taking bribes (mac book for a post on techcrunch)
So I thought its time we lay out our policy to all our writers here at techwankers.
We TAKE bribes. We WELCOME bribes. There is nothing too small we wouldn’t take. In fact, we may be insulted if you don’t try to bribe us first.
So Daniel ( techcrunch ex-techcrunch intern), you are welcome to write for us anytime. You were greedy – but its not new in the valley – you were just too young to learn not to get caught. Bribes, sponsorships, pay to post, valley boys network = all the same thing.
UPDATE: Our fan page for Daniel
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February 6th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Your post was cited in a comment to an eSarcasm post, and when I found the post, I noted your last sentence – “Bribes, sponsorships, pay to post, valley boys network = all the same thing.”
While I personally believe that they’re not necessarily the same thing – I’ve previously noted that, AS LONG AS THERE’S DISCLOSURE, I have no problem with pay-per-post schemes – you do raise an interesting point. Whether or not the payment is disclosed, the fact remains that anyone who is paid is more than likely influenced by the payment. For example, if I ever write about biometrics, I disclose that I am employed by a biometrics firm; but this disclosure does not change the fact that my writing is (consciously or subconsciously) affected by the “payment” (in this case, a salary) that I have received.
However, I don’t know that you can effectively remove ALL outside influences from a writer. Even if someone’s independently wealthy and doesn’t have to ask for free Macbooks from anyone, that person can be influenced by non-monetary factors – the barista with a grumpy mood, or whatever.
February 6th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Bribes can be many forms. A lunch, drinks, entry to exclusive tech events etc etc. You cannot avoid them in the valley – and Arrington is just being a hypocrite here. Whether he wants to admit it or not – his postings are influenced by how those companies/people treat him.