> * Is this story “newsworthy” or am I being asked to publish a press release?<p>> * Do I have an “angle” from which to write the story (first company to do X, company does biggest X, consumer behavior is doing X)?<p>> * If I’m covering a company can I get evidence of what the competition is doing so the story is balanced?<p>> * Do I have data or facts to present so the story has legs?<p>> * Can I get sources to talk on-the-record or off-the-record to lend credibility to the topic?<p>> * Will I have information that other journalists don’t have (otherwise known as a “scoop”)?<p>I think TechCrunch should apply this bullet-point list to themselves when deciding whether or not to post an article. I think we'd see their output diminish considerably.