I think the author is trying to encourage the practice in general. There are certainly ways to do it right and ways to do it wrong.

Just blindly asking for status emails so you have some numbers and justifications for your charts would probably not go over well. Asking for status emails regarding real milestones and to verify functionality, check metrics, or suggest current progress be analyzed can be very helpful.

Good management seems to include knowing when someone needs some guidance or help and when they just need you to stay out of their hair.