I spent half an hour on the phone with the guy behind The Fine Young Capitalists yesterday. Don't assume that just because you haven't seen a story on Kotaku,

When game jams are tanked and online communities are persecuted by negative and inaccurate press, I cannot agree.

Except that a card game developer's ex-gf from years ago posted on facebook a rape allegation and Patricia Hernandez not only chastised the developer for trying to address those allegations, but also sided against him based on statistical analysis... and neither of those individuals are public figures in the video…

Just because that's where he came from, it doesn't mean that's what he's delivering now.

I believe you readers want the same thing my team, without exception, wants: a site that feels bullshit-free and independent

Sounds like someone just couldn't hack it.

Yes it does. I don't understand how anyone can possibly believe that an individual can effectively write something free of bias regarding a field if they are romantically involved with someone in that field. Even if Grayson isn't writing on Quinn specifically, that does not mean that such a relationship may not…

A better take on this non-story:

To find it a little weird is one thing... to openly ask that people not do it is something else altogether.

Stephen, I believe we are owed a legitimate explanation as to why any staff writer for the site would be allowed to directly financially back any developer.

Even if he isn't reporting on her, the conflict of interest may still be presenting, consciously or subconsciously, in reporting on dev circles close to her, or competing with her. Not saying that it happened, but that's not the real concern when it comes to conflicts of interest and journalistic ethics. The point is…

A writer doesn't necessarily need to slam another indie game presenting competition. He could end up promote a game being developed within her developer circles. That's sort of a the big problem when relationships between reporters and their subjects occurs. The grey area that already exists turns into a literal…

Which is why I find that sort of systemic bias to be dangerous. I'm not asking that they lay burden of proof at the feet of the harassed, but they should at least perform their due-diligence, and if information contrary to the original story arises, it should be published.

Unless they are tilted in such a way as to also promote the interests of Zoe, then he didn't do anything wrong.

For starters, that doesn't appear to be what happened. More importantly, the purpose of public disclosure in these instances is it to maintain public trust. Do you really think this would even be an issue that Nathan or Kotaku would be addressing right now had he done so? I'd said probably not.

To piggy back on your premise however... what if you then went and spent that $100 you got after the election on Republican themed advertising for a series of upcoming Republican bills.

That not necessarily true. The conflict of interest still exists, and his other content may have been presented with a related sort of bias, particularly content pertaining to the indie circles. That's the reason why it's typical for journalists to disclose their relationships when they occur with individuals within…

Look at it this way... the potential for bias, even without specific favoritism or favors, is a real concern. This is why it is fairly common (and ethical) practice for journalists to make known their relationships if they happened to occur within the industry that they may report on.

Even if specific favors weren't curried, the potential for professional bias in his other works still existed during and possibly even after their relationship ended. Who is to say that their relationship did not impact or bias other stories that he wrote about the indie scene?

Even if he did not cover her game, without disclosure of the relationship (or whatever it was), it's impossible to know if any of his other journalism or commentary on gaming was affected. There is still a potential conflict of interests, even if specific favors were not curried.