Verizon has closed its tech news site Sugarstring after just one month of operation, reports Karl Bode of DSLReports.com
Bode writes, “It would have normally been dismissed as another in a long line of “me too” efforts well outside Verizon’s core competency — were it not for site editor-in-chief Cole Stryker telling outlets like The Daily Dot that site employees were forbidden from writing about NSA surveillance and net neutrality.
“The press and public response was unsurprisingly loud, with plenty of conversations about the semi greasy nature of a company’s news venture refusing to talk about massive subjects they play a starring role in. The writing appeared to be on the wall when Verizon publicly threw Stryker under the bus in a public statement circulated to media a few days later:
quote:
“SugarString is a pilot project from Verizon Wireless’ marketing group, designed to address tech trends, especially those of interest to our customers. Unlike the characterization by its new editor, SugarString is open to all topics that fit its mission and elevate the conversation around technology.”
“Shortly after its very ugly public debut, Verizon’s Sugarstring website stopped posting new stories and hadn’t updated content for most of November.”
Read more here.
