Verizon just bought Engadget and TechCrunch -- can they stay independent?

Verizon is buying AOL for $4.4 billion, and it's pretty clear that the emphasis is on mobile, video, and ad tech -- AOL CEO Tim Armstrong's memo announcing the deal made that clear. But there's zero mention of editorial independence in Armstrong's memo, which has to be troubling for the staff at The Huffington Post, Engadget, and TechCrunch, all of which cover technology. Engadget and TechCrunch in particular are two of the world's largest and most influential tech publications (and, of course, competitors to The Verge), and it's not at all clear how they can continue to offer independent commentary on tech and mobile. Just last year in 2014 Verizon launched and then was forced to shutter a tech blog called SugarString after it was revealed that writers were forbidden from writing about network neutrality. That's not a good sign.

Apparently, there's a possibility AOL will spin off or sell its content brands -- German conglomerate Axel Springer is apparently in the mix. That might be the best possible situation here; unless Verizon and AOL can commit to full editorial independence, the looming specter of a Verizon executive getting mad about coverage and making a phone call will be too hard to ignore. Running a media company isn't like running a mobile operator; the value comes from journalistic integrity and independence. That's not a lesson many companies learn quickly.