OT and getting further OT all the time! Re: Off-topic, but interesting (Fiorina fired)

From: John Foust <jfoust_at_threedee.com>
Date: Thu Feb 10 19:10:45 2005

At 05:32 PM 2/10/2005, Computer Collector Newsletter wrote:
>>>>> Most of "The Media" does not exist to inform, enlighten, or educate. It
>exists to sell products.
>
>Bill: get real. That's an incredibly immature and uninformed generalization.
>As a real reporter, I find your comemnt very, very offensive.

I think you're both generalizing. :-) There is a large spectrum of
professionalism, sense of ethics, notion of bias, self-interest, etc.
among all those who call themselves a writer, reporter or journalist
and it all only widens once you start extending it to bloggers.

It's up to the consumers of writing to decide what they want to
read and whether or how they want to pay for it. So yes, large swaths
of the population are content with pie-charts explaining "What We Had
For Lunch" today in USA Today, or CNN's coverage of the latest virus
or marriage of Charles or whatever else they decide to put on their
front page or top of the hour.

To keep this vaguely on-topic, the same can be said of the writers
in the computer industry. What percentage of reviews you've read
were based on short-term evaluations of freebie or loaned product?
Do "reporters" need to check sources or not? Is it enough to
reprint a press release? What's worse, fluffy coverage of
Britney Spears or Bill Gates?

- John
Received on Thu Feb 10 2005 - 19:10:45 GMT