National journalists examine difficulties of reporting on an industry where technology is only part of story

A woman sitting in the audience of a technology conference, half listening to the presentation, tweeting her thoughts on her iPhone is a snapshot of at least five possible stories, some of them only peripherally about technology, according to Quentin Hardy, deputy tech editor for The New York Times.

The pricey cost of an iPhone and the implications it has on growing economic inequality in the United States is one. The Chinese factory workers making paltry wages and being exposed to dangerous chemicals in the assembly of iPhones is another. The effect of Twitter on the news cycle is yet another.

As a technology journalist, where does the tech beat stop and the rest of journalism begin? And how does a journalist cover it fairly in the age of the "partisan" internet? Four technology journalists chipped away at the tip of this iceberg in a writers' panel discussion, "Reporting on Emerging Technologies," Monday (Oct. 3) at Dawn or Doom '16, a conference on the risks and rewards of new technology at Purdue.

Natalie DiBlasio, digital editor at USA Today, said a first hurdle is often to cover a startup tech company without coming across as a cheerleader.

"I get 300 pitches a day from startups," DiBlasio said. "So many companies are fighting for coverage."

Hardy cautioned against falling in love with your sources, which he said is what happened in the case of Theranos. The company's founder and CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, promised huge advances in the tech and medical fields but failed to deliver.

Emily Dreyfuss, WIRED news and opinion editor, said, Holmes garnered copious media attention and startup money because accommodating reporters basically let her craft the story.

Hardy said, "We're covering delusional people. Elon Musk gets up and is like we're going to colonize Mars and everyone is like 'OK!'"

Musk, who in late September made that declaration, received a generally positive reaction from the public and the media at first, but colonizing Mars is  a lot easier to talk about than to do. In the days since Musk's announcement, reporters have taken pains to examine the vast implications -- and challenges -- of traveling to and living on another planet.

Beyond who and what is being reported on, the panelists all agreed that media leaders and consumers need to look at who is doing the reporting as well. Jared Council, the Indiana Business Journal's technology reporter, who is a black journalist, said blacks and Latinos lack access to capital to break through in the technology industry, and that lack of representation matters.

"People want to be what they see," Council said.

Dreyfuss said unpaid internships contribute to the lack of diversity in journalism, as well. If you can't afford to work for free for three months, you probably won't become a journalist. But a diversity of perspectives is essential.

"We cover topics that are interesting to us," Dreyfuss said. "We desperately need other voices in our newsrooms."

Dawn or Doom continues today (Oct. 4) at Purdue's West Lafayette campus and is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit http://eventmobi.com/dawnordoom2016/.

Writer: Kirsten Gibson, 765-494-8190, gibson33@purdue.edu