A brief entreaty for fellow tech writers covering Amazon Prime Day or the Apple Event, or other tech giant exhibition or deals bonanza: We've gotten much better at asking hard questions and drilling down into their corporate practices. But we still tend to separate the narratives

While Wired, the Verge, CNet, etc now does deep dive labor reporting on tech companies that's just as good—and sometimes better—than major news outlets, we still cheerily present the list of deals deals deals and shout the gadget specs in articles, as if the two don't intersect.

Wired's Prime guide is a great example and I'll pick on it bc it has the most clout—and bc Wired has done some of the best labor reporting on Amazon! Yet the stories of sick + dying warehouse workers, climate protestors + union busting are invisible here: https://www.wired.com/story/best-prime-day-deals-2020/

Verge did something interesting, an Anti-Amazon Prime Day gift guide, but it doesn't really give you any context. Otherwise, it's the best deals all the way down. https://www.theverge.com/21505978/amazon-prime-day-best-tech-deals-phones-gaming-laptops-gadgets

This creates a binary—you can *choose* to read about labor issues, or you can choose to drill down into the specs of an iPhone 12 or the best Prime deals. If we want to be honest about these events, we have to find ways to incorporate *both* threads simultaneously in our coverage

This is of course why @motherboard + @LaurenKGurley's piece is so funny and devastating https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dzn4a/8-amazon-prime-day-tips-you-should-know-before-buying

I also regret starting this out by directing it at writers — though I think the burden to change this trend will fall to us/them — because this coverage has become so institutionalized it will take some pushing/convincing management to change it. But I think we should!

also to my fellow tech writers: you know I love you all and I am very fun at parties

It has been pointed out to me that Wired's reviews staff are themselves the victims of union-busting, and that the Wired union is taking the opportunity to speak up about it https://twitter.com/wiredunion/status/1316079781683830792

Also going to add that the @wiredunion has consistently been savvy, inventive and great, a good model for organizers with wary bosses