Ethics in tech “journalism”

What are the ethical obligations of tech journalist to disclose when they’ve signed NDAs when talking about various subjects? Windows Central is the worst, but most are not much better.

·        “leaked”

·        “According to industry insiders…”

·        “My sources are saying…”

·        “I’m hearing rumors that…”

·        “This is just speculation, but…”

·        “We’ve ‘discovered’ the latest patent filings”

·        “I’ve heard whispers that…”

·        “Code has been found that suggests…”

·        “What I would love to see is…”

·        “We’re only guessing here, but…”

·        “What they should do is…”

This is B.S.

I know everybody needs to make a buck, but carrying water for a tech company and acting as a propagandist to guide the narrative is shameful. “Access Journalism” in the form of pre-release products and information (talking points) in exchange for signing an NDA.

Should a real tech journalist ever sign an NDA? Or, at least, disclose it?