Last week, I went on a little rant about the slapdash reporting style of certain A-list tech blogs. Call this one Exhibit B: VentureBeat breathlessly reports that the recently bankrupt mobile entertainment network Amp'd Mobile counted among its assets a healthy cache of pornograhy, leading to questions about the shoddy oversight of its investors. Amp'd blew through $360 million in funding from such VC firms as Redpoint and Highland Partners. Turns out, however, the story is baseless. VentureBeat tells us it wasn't actually porn in -- and give them credit here -- a very upfront clarification. But, of course the damage is done. What tech blogger couldn't resist parroting these baseless claims? There are a nice batch of blogs such as TechCrunch, Valleywag (that paragon of journalistic professionalism) and Crunchgear who jumped on the bandwagon, never bothering to pick up the phone and verify the facts. Instead, they let fly with their salacious VC-funded porn story. Crunchgear even took time to photoshop a company photo and attach imaginary cartoon dialog balloons to those pictured to tell the story.

This kind of shoot-first-verify-later reporting is not only sloppy journalism and damaging (to everyone involved - the company and the reporters), but it's legally dangerous. Maybe the threat of a libel suit will finally lead to some proper editorial decision-making.