Another tech reporter with whom I’m acquainted, but whom I never liked—he was the type to push his way to the front at a product announcement, as if being a few minutes ahead got him the scoop—sends me an email asking if I can talk about the aggregation work I’m doing. He wants to understand why the company has decided to use humans, instead of algorithms, and how this affects what shows up on the feeds. He says he’s heard from some that it’s a biased process, that certain topics and sources are off-limits. Is it true? He’s working on a feature. Can I talk? Can I answer some questions? Provide some insight?

I read the email a couple more times, but do not reply. I don’t want to be his source and it bothers me that he has found me doing something I’m not especially proud to be doing.