To review or not to review
12/01/07 09:20 Media
issues
Interesting entry in Kieren McCarthy's blog this
week. For those who haven't clicked through,
he's been on the radio talking about Windows
Vista, the new version of Windows, but he's
conceding he hasn't actually seen it.
Initially my reaction was one of anger; he's been on
the radio (something I'm keen to build on as
long-term readers will know, so let's acknowledge the
professional jealousy angle immediately) and talked
about something of which he has little first-hand
knowledge. And contrary to his blog's claim that
Microsoft didn't send out any review copies of
Windows Vista for review until January, I and loads
of other tech journalists have been playing with the
beta release for months (you get it by phoning the
press office and asking).
Then I had another think. Isn't every journalist prone to review books or equipment turning up late? Can we honestly all claim that we've never done anything in a hurry with a slightly shaky brief? So how is this case different and why did I react angrily?
Two possible reasons spring to mind. One is simple professional jealousy. I'm not proud of my feelings here but I'd love to go on the World Service and if I've seen Vista and used it then a large part of me says that should have been my gig rather than that of someone who hasn't even seen the damned thing. The second, which is more serious to my mind, is in blogging the transgression afterwards. If someone found the broadcast interesting they might, for example, do a web search on the journalists involved. They might find the blog and then see the programme completely undermined by one of the contributors.
As a competitive journalist I'm annoyed at it for reasons of petty jealousy, I admit it. If I were the producer and found my programme being apparently dismissed in this way, I think I'd be furious.
Then I had another think. Isn't every journalist prone to review books or equipment turning up late? Can we honestly all claim that we've never done anything in a hurry with a slightly shaky brief? So how is this case different and why did I react angrily?
Two possible reasons spring to mind. One is simple professional jealousy. I'm not proud of my feelings here but I'd love to go on the World Service and if I've seen Vista and used it then a large part of me says that should have been my gig rather than that of someone who hasn't even seen the damned thing. The second, which is more serious to my mind, is in blogging the transgression afterwards. If someone found the broadcast interesting they might, for example, do a web search on the journalists involved. They might find the blog and then see the programme completely undermined by one of the contributors.
As a competitive journalist I'm annoyed at it for reasons of petty jealousy, I admit it. If I were the producer and found my programme being apparently dismissed in this way, I think I'd be furious.
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