Newsletter Issue #520: Journalists Spend Too Much Time
Looking in the Mirror When Writing About Apple
November 15th, 2009
As I consider some of the absurd comments from so-called tech writers that I routinely disprove, I have to wonder what they are thinking about. I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that maybe they are drinking too much of the “sauce” or inhaling mind-altering substances.
But it doesn’t seem to make sense that, with all the facts out there about Apple, Microsoft and other prominent tech companies, they continue to get so many basic facts completely incorrect, and then engage in totally wrongheaded speculation as the result.
One theory with which most of you no doubt agree is that lurid headlines and inflammatory text attract lots and lots of readers, particularly from Mac users and others who hold opposing views and are upset over the incorrect statements. Indeed, if you check out the online versions of some of the most offensive stories, you’ll see a rich selection of responses correcting the most egregious mistakes.
At the same time, the authors rarely, if ever, back down and admit they made a mistake. If they respond to the corrections, it’s often non-responsive or they just repeat the same misleading information. They must be masochists, you’d think, since they are so willing to simply sit back and take all that abuse.
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Yeh, but most of these are not journalists, they’re bloggers.
Well, actually the distinction is largely blurred these days, since so many people move between both forms of expression.
Peace,
Gene