If nothing else, the COVID19 crisis has helped to shine a glaring spotlight on just how awful Vox’s brand of “journalism” really is. But their COVID19 coverage alone should disqualify them from ever being taken seriously by anyone ever again.
Entrepreneur, angel investor, and engineer Balaji S. Srinivasan has helpfully put together a comprehensive thread of Vox’s journalistic malpractice in the time of COVID19:
The Vox Doctrine
Media companies are profiting from a crisis they helped create. Vox/Recode dismissed the pandemic, scorned precautions, told you not to wear masks, even attacked philanthrophy!
Now they're setting traffic records.
Need citizen journalism, not corporate media. pic.twitter.com/54jGxWE3yT
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) April 9, 2020
Vox: "factual, reliable, clear journalism is more important than ever."
Also Vox: "Is this going to be a deadly pandemic? No." pic.twitter.com/YqXVXwz19X
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) April 9, 2020
Vox: "factual, reliable, clear journalism"
Also Vox: "public officials in the area say the virus is contained"https://t.co/wP4FHEhmlb
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) April 9, 2020
Vox: "factual, reliable, clear journalism"
Also Vox: advises citizens not to buy masks while Vox founder is buying masks. https://t.co/DTU9UVIs2d
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) April 9, 2020
Vox: "factual, reliable, clear journalism"
Also Vox: "Tech giants have committed to providing 9 million masks. It’s not nearly enough." pic.twitter.com/4tycB8awYH
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) April 9, 2020
Recommended
Elapsed time from when Vox told you tech was paranoid to the time 40M Californians were put under house arrest: 35 days.https://t.co/nDb5Lyk18N
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) April 9, 2020
Vox & Recode helped cause the greatest crisis in modern US history.
Now they team up with Giridharadas to attack Jack's charity.
Let's be clear, Teddy & Anand's business model is attacking charitable giving.
You get less masks so they get more clicks.https://t.co/Fu41t7q1GS
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) April 9, 2020
Srinivasan is referring to TIME editor at large Anand Giridharadas, who recently pimped a post by Vox Recode’s Teddy Schleifer complaining about the “dangers” of allowing tech billionaires like Jack Dorsey and Bill Gates to donate large sums of money in the fight against COVID19 (and in subsequent crises).
right on cue…. @jack gives away 1/3rd of net worth and gets admonished by @AnandWrites
Imagine you worked your ass off for decades and gave away 1/3rd of all your money– in a totally transparent way–and this former management consultant breaks your chops ?♂️ https://t.co/9nMcutG9rG
— [email protected] (@Jason) April 8, 2020
Giridharadas and Vox actually believe in this garbage:
The pandemic is causing billionaires to ask: What can we do?
A better question may be: What should they stop doing?
The latest @teddyschleifer joint.https://t.co/H5U8sOY0Jy
— Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) April 7, 2020
Now @jack’s gift enters the picture.
Whomever the gift is from, these are the issues for me:
Read @teddyschleifer’s full story here: https://t.co/H5U8sOY0Jy pic.twitter.com/KSCVktoS96
— Anand Giridharadas (@AnandWrites) April 7, 2020
Unreal.
Vox should be ashamed of many things, but they should be especially ashamed of this.
To @ezraklein @mattyglesias @karaswisher, the ethical thing to do would be:
– Retraction
– Resignation
– DonationFormally retract all false articles, do not delete them. Resign from your posts. And donate 28% of your net worth to help fix the catastrophe you helped create.
— Balaji S. Srinivasan (@balajis) April 9, 2020
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Related:
Vox and Matt Yglesias enter the shot-chaser hall of fame with this ‘update’ on using masks