MSNBC conflict of interest web article

MSNBC writer just happens to use Comcast as example of company wronged by Twitter

Here is a post on the Big Money section of the MSNBC web site. which claims to be about companies that make the best use of Twitter. It rambles on for a bit about how they chose 12 companies to focus on setting up an expectation of graphs and numbers and other such wonkish delights.

The numbers never really appear but eventually we get a section on Twitters recommended user function, where Twitter are, in effect, giving their seal of approval to certain accounts and the apparently arbitrary nature of the whole process. OK, the writer may have a point, addition to the list can literally make a seven figure difference in the amount of followers that a company or individual will garner. Still pretty wonkish stuff.

But then we get to this:

Twitter has given a handout to some but not all, creating a schism in their community of users. Why does @jetblue get recommended and @comcastcares doesn’t? They’re both customer service accounts for a huge national company. And yet @jetblue has 1.4 million followers and @comcastcares only has 32,000. Because of the Suggested User List, @comcastcares never stood a chance at making the Twitter 12. Twitter declined to comment on whether there was a methodology to the list, but did say that one of its priorities moving forward is finding a better way of recommending users.

Bingo! now we see the purpose for this rather rambling article, notice the company chosen to represent the hard done by side of the equation and guess who now has, or will have a controlling interest in NBC and therefore MSNBC yup Comcast.

I don’t think that I’ve uncovered any great conspiracy here, more likely a rather feeble attempt by the author of the original piece, Chadwick Matlin, to ingratiate himself with his new bosses. At least I hope that is the story.

A quick explanation here about relationships as far as I can work them out. Chadwick Martin is employed by Big Money which is owned by Slate which is a property of Newsweek which comes under the same umbrella as NBC. So he is definitely now an employee of Comcast.

At the very least a potential conflict of interest declaration should have been made by the writer, Big Money and MSNBC relating to this.

crossposted at: webbunny.net