"Both local papers, in their own ways, exercise judgments that undermine their credibility. The [San Francisco Chronicle's] technology coverage harps on the same tired theme of amazement. My God, says the local paper, look at the wizards and their wonders. The Chron should justrun the same daily headline: "More Cool Stuff From Those Young People in Palo Alto." The [Mercury News] regards the area's newly wealthy as curiosities from another planet. The Merc's recurring headline would say, "They're Rich. They're Young. What Does It Mean for People Who Are Poor Like Us?"" "One former editor at the Merc once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison at a banquet, but couldn't bring himself to say a word to the billionaire. He told me later he didn't know what to say to Ellison, whom he noted was at the time the wealthiest man in Silicon Valley.

How is it possible for an editor to be so awed by power, money or influence that he could not even shake another man's hand? Such insecurity in the face of the area's increasing wealth and sophistication is a sad commentary on the people who should be telling the valley's stories"

"This is the backdrop to Chris Nolan's little stock deal. Whatever the specific rights and wrongs of her AutoWeb escapade, it's a sign of the new prosperity some technology reporters enjoy, and that really gets under some observers' skin. Maybe Nolan did everything by the book, maybe she didn't; either way, she serves as a whipping boy for the tut-tutting of old-line news hounds who resent the changes that the Internet is bringing to their business."