I agree. They're almost always clickbait-y and Uber is something that absolutely nobody is ambivalent about. I've found that people either think that they're the savior to outdated transportation needs or that they're using loopholes not available to their competition to create a new monopoly.
You nailed it -- I am so sick of the overly cozy backrub style relationship between the media and Uber... Emil Michael and Sarah Lacy are obviously in love!
If you want me to discount the article and its conclusions, I find specific criticism of the facts and reasoning in an article more persuasive than an unsubstantiated claim about who "paid for" the article.