
The stunning hypocrisy of VentureBeat's attack on Y Combinator - ghost3
http://influencehacks.com/the-stunning-hypocrisy-of-venturebeats-assault-on-y-combinator
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tptacek
Ironically, all you're doing with a post like this is helping her. The right
response to bullshit stories --- the norm at Venturebeat --- is to ignore them
and continue to cultivate the expectation that there's little good that will
come from that venue at all. It's a Venturebeat story. Of course it's
preposterous. Let's move on.

~~~
marcamillion
While I would agree with you normally, that's actually not the best route to
take for attacks that have a certain amount of credibility. It's important to
get out in front of it and debunk it.

That's why Obama always has people that break down the blatant lies that come
from the right's attack.

Having a journalist write a scathing piece on the motives of an email that
commented on Google Ventures, without detailing the connection with that
blogger and Google Ventures speaks volumes about where the piece is coming
from.

As far as I am concerned, VentureBeat is fully discredited. How can I trust
what they say again?

Sure, everybody makes mistakes....but this is inexcusable.

It's the same way I look at Fox. I can't take Fox seriously, because they are
so blatantly partisan, it's ridiculous. The same applies to MSNBC...so it's
not a partisan statement.

The lack of disclosure, on a piece like this, is disconcerting.

~~~
doktrin
I second this. This isn't some internet troll that should simply be ignored.
If left completely unchallenged, the base assumption by many not familiar with
the context will be to take it at face value.

~~~
tptacek
On the contrary, I think publications like Venturebeat are, quite literally,
the professionalized form of internet trolls. If I'm right, it's definitely
not a good strategy to engage with them.

~~~
marcamillion
Well...there are many that might not see them like that. I, didn't view them
as that. Partly because I don't pay much attention to them, but when an
interesting article that they wrote appears on HN I would read it.

But now, I am much more likely to read it with a skeptical eye - and possibly
not even read it altogether.

This cuts to the heart of journalism.

It's the equivalent of the WSJ or NYT writing a hit piece on either campaign,
just to find out that the author's wife/husband is a top advisor for the
candidate - without them explicitly stating that in the piece.

The most ironic thing about the VB piece, is that the title is: "Paul Graham’s
‘lowball’ accusation of Google Ventures may hide an ulterior motive".

How ironic that allegations surface that may hide an ulterior motive for VB.

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neya
Actually, this article by itself looks more like a rant than anything else and
actually seems to defeat the purpose of an 'invite-only', 'quality-oriented'
network that SVBTLE claims to be.

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domador
If the two photos of Graham come from the same source image, then it looks
like the microphone on the first image ([http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010/04/paul-graham.j...](http://5.mshcdn.com/wp-
content/uploads/2010/04/paul-graham.jpg)) was airbrushed out
([http://venturebeat.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/pg-
lowball.jp...](http://venturebeat.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/pg-
lowball.jpg?w=558&h=9999&crop=0)). (Unless a microphone was airbrushed in for
the first image.) Just thought that was curious, in addition to the
desaturation...

~~~
darkarmani
Here is the photo credit:
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/jolieodell/4525127286/in/photos...](http://www.flickr.com/photos/jolieodell/4525127286/in/photostream/)

The link from the article links directly to that, and yet they heavily
manipulated it and call it journalism.

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ghettoCoder
You know those signs at the zoo, "Do not feed the animals". How come we all
learned not to do that as kids but can't help but look at the train wreck in
motion that is VB.

VB uses the same approach as sports writers, be controversial cause the fans
will read even if its just to complain about you.

~~~
ocirion
I thought that was just Business Insider.

VB occasionally has a story worth reading. But usually they're just rehashing
what everyone else had yesterday.

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sixQuarks
I recently read the book: "Trust Me, I'm Lying" which talks about how these
types of blog posts. Now it's so obvious when I see this kind of stuff.

Here's the book: [http://www.amazon.com/Trust-Me-Lying-Confessions-
Manipulator...](http://www.amazon.com/Trust-Me-Lying-Confessions-
Manipulator/dp/159184553X)

~~~
jonny_eh
Which blog post are you referring to, the original or the debunking?

~~~
sixQuarks
the original: <http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/07/lowball/>

