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Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster took a break from bathing in the millions of dollars he obtained from eBay to make a paranoid-seeming accusation of bias at newspapers:

We've been hearing increasingly from newspaper reporters who confide that they are only allowed to write negative stories about Craigslist these days, because we're viewed as competition by their newspaper's business managers.

I'm catching a faint whiff of bullshit. It's a good story for Buckmaster to tell — but is it true?


Given reporters' propensities for spreading gossip and taking self-righteous stands, I'd think we'd have heard of someone quitting their jobs in protest over such a ham-handed move by a newspaper publisher. Granted, I may be wrong — but if there is, in fact, a reporter brave enough to confess this to Buckmaster but too cowardly to go public, drop me a line. I'll be glad to protect your anonymity — but as for your integrity, well, probably too late.