Clickbait vs. real journalism about Silicon Valley

Nellie Bowles, who covers Silicon Valley for The Guardian, writes about the culture among tech companies when it comes to how the media covers them.

Bowles writes, “Each of these investors – and many of those writing in a wave of local support for Thiel – add caveats that they’re happy to see ‘clickbait’ or ‘gossip’ journalists suffer but that they fully support ‘real’ journalists. As Khosla made clear by putting the New York Times on the side of clickbait, many Silicon Valley investors see most press as suspect.

“After six years as a reporter in Silicon Valley, I’ve found that a tech mogul will generally call anything unflattering I write ‘clickbait’ and anything flattering ‘finally some real journalism.’

“A macabre parlor game among reporters here now is to guess which billionaire will, as Thiel did, wait 10 years with a grudge before seizing an opportunity to bankrupt you and exact maximum revenge. It’s a paranoia that seems more fitting for reporters covering characters like Vladimir Putin than the latest startup.

“In America today, almost no one wields the concentrated wealth and power that the new rulers of Silicon Valley have. As the prodigies grow up, they’re realizing just how much they can flex that power.”

Read more here.