A Very Thin Disguise

I used to enjoy reading c|net’s commentaries – labeled “Perspectives” – but no longer. It seems to me that the contributions from outside individuals have increasingly become very thin veneers for promoting their own interests. I present as evidence: Where did the music industry go so wrong?, by the CEO of a company that offers “products and services for indie artists”; Time for Fed to join the 21st century, by the CEO of a company that – as best I can tell from its jargon-laden site – just happens to be well-positioned to provide the system he advocates; the especially insufferable Two cheers for intellectual-property law, authored by Microsoft’s general counsel shark; and today’s example, Real ID is bad? Compared to what? by the president of a company that sells “infrastructure and application software for smart credential programs”.

Some may object to my objection on the grounds that these experts have information and/or experience that the lay person doesn’t have, and therefore their writings, speeches, etc. are valuable resources for laymen who desire a more informed perspective. That is doubtless true; and I have absolutely no objection to sharing information and ideas. But that isn’t all that’s happening with these essays. The authors are pushing a perspective that they stand to profit from. Not that there’s anything wrong with that either – but to have their almost-universally biased writings published on a news site strikes me as a bit disengenuous.

Perhaps I should have taken greater warning from the use of the label “Perspectives” than I did. That’s as may be; however, what’s being promoted isn’t simply a perspective, it’s too often a position that the author stands to gain from if it were to be widely accepted. And that fact isn’t made very clear. If I remember correctly, though, Declan McCullagh has had articles published under that heading; and they typically are good examples of thoughtful commentary, rather than barely-disguised shilling for someone or something. I’d like it much better if c|net would separate genuine commentary from glorified self-promotion.