"Craigslist killer" Philip Markoff was arraigned on grand-jury charges that include first-degree murder, robbery and two counts of armed kidnapping. As if Craigslist users needed another reason to feel jumpy.

It seems every day brings more stories that help paint the listings website as a cesspool of scams, killers and sexual exploitation. Here's just a random smattering of the coverage from the past week or so:


These sorts of stories may well be the natural result of Craigslist's ubiquity and desperate economic times. But don't be surprised if Craigslist starts bragging about good news — its charitable contributions, jobs it has found for people — much more loudly. The company needs all the good news it can get.