reason for late afternoon crash SMH article, page-215

I think users of Afterpay will form their view of the brand based on the service they receive, the utility of the service to them, the price (free in APT's case), etc. They may check to see if the service is dodgy, that is, if they're dishonest or unreliable. Credible information to suggest either may influence their view of the brand. But SMH has not alleged any such behaviour from APT, as far as I can tell.

The SMH articles comes across to me as warning about the potential pitfalls about buy now, pay later services - which is reasonable when you consider the amount late payment fees that APT receives - but this is far from alleging impropriety by the company any sort. Sort of like how  warning about consequences of operating a car improperly doesn't mean you're saying Toyota is dodgy.

In short, the drivers of APT's brand image, profits and ultimately share price will be determined by the service it delivers, and not what the SMH prints.