> And now, today, I'm a founding editor of a publication that I consider something of a spiritual successor to those classic mags.
The Verge might have started out as a "spiritual successor" to PC Magazine et al., but it certainly can't be considered one these days. Many of the founding members have left and the site has lost touch with its technical/gadget roots and has instead turned into a far-let "cultural" publication. For me, Chris Plante's completely unwarranted attack on one of the Rosetta scientists[0] was the last straw. Nowadays, I avoid The Verge as much as possible.
I stopped reading The Verge when the editorial shift happened as well. The Verge was an interesting experiment. What happens when core employees leave the big company and start their own?
>"..."The AOL Way", a 58-page long company plan to grow AOL into a media empire. Some employees suggested that AOL was sacrificing journalism for page views"
At first, they stuck to their core tech/gadget proficiencies and continued with what worked at Engadget. But as they moved further away from 'This is my next' to 'The Verge', they shifted the editorial focus and began sacrificing journalism for the promotion of 'progressive idealism' rather than 'page views' - and the result is much the same.
I didn't see that post originally. I saw the 'follow up' where one of the writers complained about getting abuse on twitter. That's obviously wrong but I find it hard to have sympathy for someone who attacks someone who innocent1y made a mistake and then cried as they apologies on camera. It seems that on the internet it's no longer possible naively do something wrong (and I would argue there was nothing wrong with him wearing that shirt), apologize, and move on. Writers who want to get clicks will try to drum up rage anyway and won't let anyone move on.
It's a ridiculous assertion that a site founded three years ago has wandered from its roots. As for that guy's shirt, it's hardly takes a Marxist to think it's in poor taste.
Poor taste? Sure. "Keeping women out of STEM fields"? Ridiculous. A vicious attack on a guy for his choice of clothing, ruining the greatest day of his life by far? Priceless.
The Verge might have started out as a "spiritual successor" to PC Magazine et al., but it certainly can't be considered one these days. Many of the founding members have left and the site has lost touch with its technical/gadget roots and has instead turned into a far-let "cultural" publication. For me, Chris Plante's completely unwarranted attack on one of the Rosetta scientists[0] was the last straw. Nowadays, I avoid The Verge as much as possible.
0: http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/13/7213819/your-bowling-shir...