TechCrunch readers thrash reporter after misleading journalism on LG phone

http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/05/lg-is-looking-to-buy-some-coverage-for-its-new-phone/

by 2pointsomone • 13 years ago

27 10 13 years ago

techcrunch.com

junto• 13 years ago

So TechCrunch doesn't accept payments from companies for product reviews on TechCrunch? I'm genuinely surprised.

Notably, the email doesn't ask for the review to be positive.

cpncrunch• 13 years ago

It doesn't seem to be misleading. John Biggs just thinks it's evil to accept payment for stories (even though he admits he did it in the past).

The problem seems to be that LG's PR firm didn't know that techcrunch doesn't accept money for stories.

simias• 13 years ago

I don't understand why he's getting thrashed, at first glance it seems a rather honourable thing to do?

taylorbuley• 13 years ago

We need more of this in mainstream press. But for a reporter, you could see how this kind of blacklash could have a chilling effect. Easier to go back to rewriting press releases.

gjulianm2• 13 years ago

I don't see what the title claims.

First of all, too many readers say that "this is what they always do: buy reviews on blogs". Apart from the fact that they don't provide any kind of proof, most of the serious blogs don't get paid by companies for writing reviews.

Second: LG is indeed trying to buy coverage. Of course, John Biggs is being way too harsh (it's TC, what did you expect?) and this isn't the correct way to reply. But the PR company is not offering a device for testing, it's asking for a review/comparative in exchange for money.

And last of all, this article will make me doubt whenever I see a LG G2 review in a blog I don't know as much, so it was helpful for me.

kylelibra• 13 years ago

The comments section of the TC article seems to be what the title of this thread is referring to.

gjulianm2• 13 years ago

Reporters being thrashed by readers is not uncommon. What it is, however, uncommon, it that those commenters on TC offer any real insight and interesting discussion. So I don't see what the title's claiming or why it's interesting to HN.

josh2600• 13 years ago

On some level I see it as a willful misreading.

On the one hand, TechCrunch has every right to refuse money. On the other hand, this PR firm has every right to offer it. This isn't a bribe, there's no indication that they're paying for favorable coverage. The brazen tactics, in fact, suggest that they're not trying to hide anything.

Ask yourself, if you were trying to bribe a writer at TechCrunch and you had one of the biggest mobile phone companies in the world as a client, would you really put the bribe in an email? Unlikely.

A far more likely scenario is that the PR team was attempting to compensate the writer for their time and was not implying a favorable review, but a review nonetheless.

While it's easier to take the position of "Look at this bribery attempt!", it would be more civil to first confirm the intention before lambasting the PR agency in public. Could it have been phrased more tactfully? Absolutely. Did they deserve to be eviscerated in public? Probably not.

Just a shallow news cycle for TC, IMHO.

PedroBatista• 13 years ago

LG's PR firm is just some junkie knocking on the door of a guy that doesn't "move product anymore"

He's legit now..

(yeah...)

Fuzzwah• 13 years ago

Oh TechCrunch....

The email specifically says "It would be great if you can propose the types of sponsored packages as well as a rough pricing information on them."

Couldn't they just have pointed the LG person to: http://techcrunch.com/advertise/

TechCrunch readers thrash reporter after misleading journalism on LG phone

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