Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

SF Weekly: Obnoxious Google employee shouting at protestors turns out to be local union organizer

Bummer. Even political protests can turn out to be staged events. I wonder what he was trying to accomplish by masquerading as an entitled Google employee. He certainly caused more harm than good to his cause.

And what about the journalists who actually reported his antics - as fact, no less? I would have done the same thing had I been in their position; it would have been a knee-jerk reaction. But I suppose that would have been yet another example of sensational reporting. The temptation to share things on the internet is just too great in this age of social media and information. Unfortunately, this instinct seems to have leaked into the world of professional journalism as well.

But balanced journalism, or attempts at it, will always be susceptible to people knowingly bending the truth. As the ability to put material in front of eyes grows and the number of eyes perusing material before publication shrinks, it's never been more true. [SF Weekly]

Here is the original article, along with a video of what we now know is a staged event:

SFBG: Union organizer shouts down protesters as they block private Google shuttle

Hey, guys - we made the Times!

NY Times examines controversy amid rampant tech gentrification in San Francisco.

Here's the part I particularly agree with:

“There has to be some kind of public support to make sure you don’t just have a city of the very wealthy, but people to make the city run ... A city needs restaurant workers, a city needs schoolteachers, a city needs taxi drivers.”