The impact that Future might have on tech journalism

Bobby Allyn of NPR writes about the impact of Andreessen Horowitz’s new tech news site Future on tech journalism.

Allyn writes, “Longtime tech journalist Timothy Lee said the tech industry may have grander plans to disrupt journalism.

“‘They just see media as another potential industry where they might be able to come along and build something better than what was there before, the same way they did with taxis, video streaming and lots of other stuff,’ Lee said.

“Yet online publishing platforms like Medium have long featured the kind of cheery takes on tech that Future now delivers. Watson says she does not see an existential threat to the journalism industry in the new publication, as much as an opportunity to snub the media.

“‘What I am more worried about is the way they are welding access as a tool of power,’ she said.

“In other words, the site could give itself exclusive interviews or insider access, making big announcements through its own publication. While companies issue press releases all the time to highlight their achievements, Watson says stories that appear to be news articles can trick readers into believing they are written from an unbiased perspective.”

Read more here.