Wired vs TechCrunch
Recently, TechCrunch and the Washington Post announced a deal in which TechCrunch would provide content for washingtonpost.com. It’s an interesting model for traditional and new media partnerships and something that will be watched very closely. 
Wired weighted in
on the partnership, twice, taking aim at Michael Arrington’s practice of covering companies he also is invested in — a no-no at the Post. Arrington fires back in a post today.
The key takeaway is how influential media, “old” and “new,” are looking at TechCrunch. In just a few short years, founder Michael Arrington and team have created a media powerhouse that continues to grow in a time when traditional media are losing relevance.
There are precious few traditional media — like the Washington Post — who get it. Kudos to them for taking this step. The deal is win-win. There are other traditional media that will be watching this deal very closely. If all goes well and there is no reason to expect it won’t, we’ll likely see deals like this increase. Seems to me, Wired might be well positioned to be one of those potential partners to the traditional media.
This makes Wired’s response to TechCrunch’s deal with the Post all the more confounding. It also makes it difficult for other traditional media to wade into these uncharted waters. Wired’s time might be better spent on a story that looks at new models through which old and new media might partner.
