Verizon buying AOL: Includes HuffPo, Engadget and TechCrunch for $4.4bil

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 Verizon launched and then was forced to shutter a tech blog called SugarString after it was revealed that writers were forbidden from writing about net neutrality. That's not a good sign.