In one of those wonderful ironies of scheduling that make columnists weep with joy, Larry Dignan spent yesterday at a Yahoo! hack day in New York.
This is the same Larry Dignan who is Editor in Chief of ZDNet, which is the same ZDNet that yesterday published a blog post accusing Yahoo of passing the names and email addresses of thousands – sorry, hundreds of thousands - of bloggers to the Iranian authorities during the country’s recent election.
Poor old Larry. One can only imagine the warmth with which he was greeted when he arrived at Yahoo’s event. “Hey Larry!” his hosts may perhaps have said “go fuck yourself.” And their suggestion wouldn’t be entirely unfair, given that the story – written by ‘lawyer and technology writer’ Richard Koman, was a steaming pile of horseshit.
How much horseshit? Let’s break it down, just for giggles. Koman’s unnamed source for the story was a guy who had translated an Iranian blog post written in Farsi. The post – which, let’s say it again, was written in Farsi, which Koman doesn’t speak – was published on the blog of an avowedly anti-government Iranian student group. In the original post, which Koman quoted without a secondary source or an independent translation, it was claimed that Yahoo’s Malaysian subsidiary had passed on the information after access to their Iranian site was blocked by Tehran. Yahoo doesn’t have an Iranian site, nor does it have a base of operations in Malaysia. Neither Koman nor anyone else at ZDNet bothered to put the allegations to Yahoo before publishing a story which Koman admitted he hadn’t got entirely “buttoned down”.
I emailed Larry to find out what on earth went wrong. Is there even a jot of editorial oversight on ZDNet’s blogs? I asked him. Didn’t the fact that the sole source for the story was someone who had translated an avowedly biased blog written in Farsi by students in opposition to the Iranian government give him or any other ZDNet editor pause?
In response, Larry was candid in the way that only a man who has spent the day at a hack day organised by people he’d accused of sentencing two hundred thousand Iranians to death can be….
“Our bloggers publish on their own schedule and post themselves. We backread posts and sometimes read them in advance, but generally we trust our bloggers will follow journalistic principles. And many of them have years of experience and are experts in their fields. In five years of ZDNet blogging we have had few issues of shoddy journalism within our blog network. We trust the bloggers we select to use good judgment and alert us to any potential problems. This was an gross error from a seasoned blogger, and we should have been more on top of it.”
Kudos, Larry. And kudos for publishing a such a prompt and detailed retraction. But yes, you should have been more on top of it. Here’s why…
Earlier this year TechCrunch published a story titled ‘Did Last.fm just hand over listener data to the RIAA?‘ (Spoiler alert: no). In the story, we – by which I mean, not me – quoted an apparently rock solid (and English speaking) source who claimed that Last had been tricked by parent-company CBS into passing on a whole bunch of listener information to the recording industry. An outcry promptly ensued, especially after TechCrunch’s source disappeared without trace and both Last.fm and CBS issued categorical denials. A source at CBS was quoted by Ars Technica describing our – which is to say not my – story as “irresponsible journalism” while Last’s Richard Jones went even further in a blog post headed ‘Techcrunch are full of shit.’
Despite doing our best to verify the story, including roping in additional sources, we – which is to say, not me – were left with some egg on our faces. At the time, I was still writing for the Guardian where I wrote a couple of brilliantly insightful columns about the incident, including one in which I lectured TechCrunch – and by extension all bloggers – on how writing on a blog doesn’t excuse you from the rules of journalism 101.
Specifically I offered some lessons that professional blogs might want to carry over from old media. Stop allowing bloggers to post their own stories without passing them first through an editor. Don’t publish a story accusing a company of malpractice without first giving them a chance to deny it. That kind of thing. And yet, eight months on, ZDNet still operates a policy – as does TechCrunch (mostly), as did the Telegraph when I wrote for them – where ‘trusted’ bloggers can post stories without so much as a gramme of editorial oversight, and without anyone ensuring that the subject of the story has been contacted for comment.
Enough.
Trusting the common sense of your writers is all well and good – but when it comes to breaking news, where journalistic adrenaline is at its highest and everyone is paranoid about being scooped by a competitor, that common sense can too easily become the first casualty. Journalists get caught up in the moment; we get excited and we post stupid crap from a foreign language student blog and call it news. And then within half a minute – bloggers being what they are – the news gets repeated and repeated until it becomes fact. Fact that can affect share prices or ruin lives. This is the reality of the blogosphere, where Churchill’s remark: that “a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on” is more true, and more potentially damaging, than at any time in history.
I was going to reply with all of this to Larry, to tell him about our – which is to say not my – run in with CBS and to sympathise with him over how easy it is for this kind of thing to happen. He’d had a bad day after all, and he didn’t need anyone making it worse. But then I clicked ‘reply’, saw Larry’s email address and experienced one of those wonderful moments of serendipity that make columnists weep with joy. Because seeing Larry’s email address reminded me which company owns ZDNet. That company…?
CBS.
Did CBS just accuse Yahoo of handing over user data to the Iranians? Oh yes they fucking did. Thank you baby Jesus.
I thought for a moment whether it was mean to gloat. Whether it was unfair to write a post reminding CBS of their “irresponsible journalism” remark. Wouldn’t that just be mean? Shouldn’t I at least give Larry a chance to respond to the irony? Perhaps I should check with my editor before posting – yunno, make sure I’ve got everything buttoned down.
And then I remembered. I’m a blogger. And that’s just not how we do things.
Click.
Post.
Great article paul, I believe bloggers should take a lot of notes from old media
lol
i mean, just to kick things off – http://twitter....atus/4766316677
lol @ the Spectator’s post… But Black text on dark grey background? It’s almost a complete airbrushing of their own article.
http://tpmcafe....wd-plagiari.php
http://www.ther...o_point_nought/
sorry if i sound ** but can some one tell me what WITN? means
Week in the news?
Why Is This News
I think that’s slightly pathetic from Michael Arrington. Rather than point the finger at others, he should rather get his shop in order. Sure, the established media fucks up as well, once in a while. But all these links are about rather minor isues. Nothing like untrue allegations about passing on highly sensible user data.
Now that everybody seems to agree that Blogs need to get more professional in that sense, why not simply set a good example? Now that would increase TC’s reputation, wouldn’t it?
reputation would help increase the reader base how?
we are setting an example.
I agree. There’s too much ‘click and don’t think’ that goes on not to mention too many people with personal agendas.
It’ll self regulate in time once the big libel cases start flying.
http://blogs.zd...=col1;post-5547
I’m shocked you waited until the end to gloat about CBS. My headline would have likely been ‘fuck you CBS’.
Oh Due Diligence, where art thou?
This just in – 20,000 Uraniums were found circling Uranus. Fission is on a mission and the splitters are quitters that won’t Twitter. Meanwhile a headless bat accused Ozzy Osbourne of stealing his iPhone and using it to direct the space shuttle into the refurbished (only $450,000 million dollars today only!) Hubble telescope.
Hey if it’s in print it’s true isn’t it?
Paul, I’m pretty sure I can’t stand you. But I always read your posts–and I suppose that’s all that matters.
He comes across much differently on the blog than he does in person. you’d probably like him a lot less if you actually met him.
+1
@david
It really is.
Revenge is a dish best served cold… unless you’ve got hundreds of thousands of eyeballs reading your every word …
I think you are mixing Koman and Koran up a bit in there – might want to clean that up.
Good spot – have rectified, thanks.
Paul — this is (apparently) not the first time something has been rushed into the ZDNet hopper by the blogger in question.
i.e. I thought that guy sounded familiar.
http://www.flic...ell/2883871545/
I’m content to screencap and move along. Ah, if only blogs were required to publish a full revision controlled set of changes.
Lastly, I salute your ability to build a top notch Saturday night special.
Say ” we – which is to say not me” one more time. I dare you. I double dare you MF MF…
Great post. I look forward to your column every week.
Good stuff! Out of curiosity, is there even an *editor* at TC, or is it a full-on free-for-all where all the writers post at will?
You get one Editor but if you call RIGHT NOW they will include a SECOND Editor at NO extra charge!
http://www.tech...out-techcrunch/
Great article Paul, well written and interesting. I was a bit amused by how many times you disclaimed your lack of involvement with the last.fm story.
who does the editing at TC?
you ever wanted to be an editor instead of a writer? aren’t writers editors too though, maybe not in an official capacity but you edit while you write, right?
what.
Great piece, Paul. My favorite corrections in the NYTimes are ones where the anonymous corrections writer blames the editor, or sometimes even the copy editor. I mean, who can we blame? Wordpress?
lmao
It’s funny because at that time you were still employed by the Guardian. What’s even funnier is that TechCrunch’s piece and your response to it were both published no more than eight months ago. Damn, you get fired a lot.
He wrote a whole book about that
Paul,
You forgot to include a link to your Noble Prize book. For the first time.
Regards,
Trooper P
Good spot. Fixed – thanks.
Don’t worry he has trained us so that we can do it the comments for him.
Cool website, you have.
Especially of their size, mistakes won’t be overlooked quickly.
Rush Rush Rush = Human errors
Spammer? Or comment lost in translation?
She’s a spammer… there’s a couple of her on Techcrunch posting. Same picture. Different name.
It’s a male spamer. But it’s a cool spamer, not a spamy spamer
It’s the kind of spamer you’d like on your blog. He explained he’s technique several days ago in comments here on TC 
pretty sad story
Great post Paul. That will not prevent half-true or totally misleading posts from popping up everywhere, but that may warn the readers to take a more skeptical approach and do their homework.
Occasionally one of our pilots will take off without checking the weather or making sure all the charts are on board or that enough fuel is in the tanks. And occasionally that pilot will fly our airplane into a mountain and kill a couple hundred customers. No biggie. We operate thousands of flights each week and most get through OK and checking up on our pilots is so boring, pisses them off and sometimes causes delays … so we don’t bother. Which is OK because none of the other airlines do it either. And what’s our customers’ alternative? Take the train?
Just one howler causes irreparable harm to a publication’s reputation. Better late than wrong. Better never than stupid.
this post is awful – not one mention of your book anywhere?
Look carefully.
Not really convinced by the CBS connection – i spent a lot of time working at a certain satellite company – but guess what, Rupert Murcdoch isn’t responsible for everything i screwed up whilst i was there… Why do right minded people act like everything done in a big company is evil orchestrated by sinister management committee… especially silly given the jist of the post (a rogue blogger f**ked up).
btw i still love ya PC – best thing on TC these days
Sam, I am pretty sure Paul was trying to say cbs is NOT responsible for everything Larry writes. just as TC is not responsible for everything Paul writes.
Except Larry didn’t write this.
Nah – not what this articles says:
“Did CBS just accuse Yahoo of handing over user data to the Iranians? Oh yes they fucking did. Thank you baby Jesus.
I thought for a moment whether it was mean to gloat. Whether it was unfair to write a post reminding CBS of their “irresponsible journalism” remark. ”
Even British sarcasm doesn’t cover this off i’m afraid…
yet another great article.
Wasn’t it LBJ who wanted to run ads during his first South Texas campaign accusing his opponent of fucking chickens?
“You can’t do that sir, it’s not the truth.”
“I know that, but now the SOB will have to go out there and deny he’s fucking chickens.”
Or something like that.
So the question is, why is Sumner Redstone accusing Jerry Yang of fucking chickens?
you can just hear the wooooooohoooooooooo, in the background cant you.
I’m sorry, but this is no excuse.
If the bloggers actually bothered to check facts, just like papers do, this wouldn’t happen.
Of course, that requires a staff, and editors, and meticulous people, none of which sites like techcrunch or the zdnet blogs ever seem to employ.
haha.
we thought we were the ones doing tech satire. but someone at techcrunch lecturing another site about using unnamed/unreliable sources and posting juicy (though totally false) stories? that brings parody to a whole new level. we sit in awe. thanks for the laughs.
and now, for a self serving yet relevant link:
http://www.esar...on-ethics-czar/
dt
Um, that was the kind of the point I was making. I hope your satire is better than your irony.
Please inject yourself further into your next article. Up the “I” count, please!
spot on
Dude, this is America. Here we go to war even before we can verify things. Haven’t you heard about the great shoot first think later American philosophy?
Good article, but just think how much better it could have been if you’d found a way around the ‘by which I mean, not me’ stuff.
Ego has got you this far, but no further.
“Ego has got you this far, but no further.”
Well, yes. If history has taught us anything it’s that ego and writing about one’s self is the path to failure for the opinion columnist. I made a similar point in my Nobel-prize winning book…
http://www.paulcarr.com/book
…and I’ll probably rehash the same idea in my next one.
How’s being a condescending prig working out for you, career-wise?
“How’s being a condescending prig working out for you, career-wise?”
Wow, seething.
Carr, I feel like you are the Robert De Niro from taxi driver cleaning up the streets of TC
Wow Craig, I’m sorry, but public fail.
You missed the point of that rhetorical device, which I thought was successful and funny. So, imho, you’re just plain wrong. And that’s before the prig part.
(Don’t feel too bad, I’ve failed hard on TC. It’s a rite of passage)
You’re right, Clayton, I was plain wrong because I was plain drunk (I’m five hours ahead). I have absolutely no idea what point I was trying to make at the time.
Apologies, Paul (and excellent riposte). Do carry on.
Happens to the best of us.
Ok, i just gotta speak up here, Paul, there are a bunch of people who just absolutely hate you, but I think I have a bit of a man crush on you! Your first few stories admittedly had there struggles, but that was because you were being to blaitantly obvious about trying to be controversial, now that you have loosened up, its great. You crack me up man, (”How’s being a condescending prig working out for you, career-wise?”) keep it up!
“bit of a man crush on you!”
Thanks for having the balls to say it so I can too.
Dude, CBS owns CNET.
Clearly this Yahoo incident wasn’t needed to make your point.
CBS owns CNET which owns ZDNet. Dude.
OK, one more step closer to the unthinkable: a Paul Carr article on Arabics and Muslims.
The irony is strong here. What TC is commenting on looks like exactly the kind of “process journalism” it practices. Pot kettle black.
Very interesting and amusing subject. I read with great pleasure.