There is a multitude of avenues to discuss photography. Photography criticism is not about talking about what sucks, but discerning the individual aspects of the art.
There are a lot of half-truths going around about photography. Generally, the various photographic equipment companies spread one or two of them, and then the various photography magazines and megasites play along because they realize that to go against what the photography companies want is a great way to not get access to the latest and greatest for review.