Valleywag Breakdown: Drunken Imagination
What is Valleywag “Managing Editor’ Owen Thomas managing? Apparently not verifiable truths in “reporting” on actual, tragic events.
“A drunk employee kills all of the Websites you care about,” Thomas headlines in good Digg-bait fashion, without caring to backup the accusation with reliable sourcing. A “tipster” is credited, as usual, but who knows, Thomas may even be “tipping” himself.
In his hard-hitting investigative series on the ripple effects of San Francicso power outages yesterday, Thomas also headlines “Angry mob gathers outside SF datacenter,” with photographic “proof”: eight mild mannered techies in casual business attire chatting on their cells while queing up patiently to enter an office building. (photo: Valleywag)
Thomas’ own “take” on data center vulenerability is equally nonsensical: “What could bring your customers servers down” besides the actions of a drunken employee “fucking up a lot of stuff,” he purports.
Cynthia Harris of 365 Main “cleared up the misinformation” with CNBC’s Jim Goldman (generally a Valleywag misinfromation fan!): “Any rumors about employee misconduct are completely unfounded.”
Thomas believes he has covered himself by including the prediction of just such a 365 Main denial along with his unfounded accusation of 365 Main conduct unbecoming.
If Valleywag public stats are to be believed, Thomas has racked up more than 100,000 Digg-fueled page views with his utter nonsense. Who needs the Web’s truth, apparently, when Valleywag’s imagination is so much more appealing.
