This image was lost some time after publication.

TechCrunch editor Michael Arrington's latest barbed-arrow barrage is aimed dead-center at the foreheads of the most annoying people in our inbox: The PR professionals who hawk startups.

PR as a profession is broken. Most PR folks don’t read blogs and certainly don’t understand them. All they see is a Google alert with their clients name. For me PR is the last refuge when I’m attacking a story. What do you do if you’re a startup looking for help in getting the word out about your company? First off, don’t hire PR help. Start your own blog. And in your leisure time participate in the fascinating conversations occurring on Twitter and FriendFeed.

Great, except for one thing: Can anyone name a startup founder with leisure time?
(Photo by Jay Meattle)