Business Insider published a lengthy story about an underwear start-up and its CEO last week, and then featured it in a Reddit that is typically devoted to snark, reports Taylor Lorenz of The Washington Post.
Lorenz writes, “The Reddit post about Téllez didn’t gain much traction, but the fact that the news organization engaged in this way left her feeling angry and terrified. It also undermined Business Insider’s journalism, she said.
“‘This post on the most hateful and dangerous cesspool of the internet confirms that in a desperate grasp for clicks, Business Insider is willing to be more at home with doxers, anonymous harassers, death-threat writers than real media,’ she said. ‘What Business Insider is saying to young women is simple: ‘Don’t dare to run a business, or you’ll make yourself a target, not just for reputation risk, but safety risk as well.’
“Business Insider declined to comment.
“With media consumption patterns changing, news outlets face a conundrum over where to promote their work. More users are turning to closed communities like Reddit to connect with like-minded people and consume information. This shift has been accelerated by the implosion of Twitter, where media companies, journalists, and the public used to trade news and promote their work.”
Read more here.
