How not to crack the A-list

[rpm]

http://www.mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=179

A great article by Rodney Weidemann from ITWeb.


"Maybe she was nervous of us, as apparently the get-together was held at her private residence, and she may well not have wanted those of us who are critical of the mess she has made of the telecoms industry to know exactly where she lives.

Or perhaps she simply doesn't like the fact that we tell the truth."

 

[antowan]

Yikes! Scathing!

Lekker!

 

[Alkine]

I like that

 

[arni1954]

It is good to know who were invited . Then we know who we should not trust.

 

[mbs]

I think it's cr@p, and Weideman should know better. Here's my response to the article:
"So you've had the good grace to publish an article bemoaning the fact that you were not invited - how is that newsworthy? IMHO, you're just as guilty of attempts to manipulate the collective public mind as she is, by bemoaning her selective invitation list. Methinx you would've served the journalistic ethic better, had you endeavoured to establish and publish exactly what was said at the soiree!"

 

[MaD]

Fact remains tho that the minister does not like criticism - which is why I can't send her e-mails from the hellkom domain or hellkomatgmail.com, many people have mailed and said their mails have bounced and then they re-send without mentioning the site and it goes through..

if she wants to be complimented on her work then she should do something on which one could compliment her. It's not too much to ask and I would like nothing better than to praise Ivy and see that she is doing the country good but at the moment the criticism will remain as long as there is reason for it.

Thus far one can thank Ivy for the following:

1. Legalising VoIP
2. ?
3. ?
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?
7. ?
8. ?
9. ?

Tut tut.

 

[qdada]

Surrounding yourself with yes-men can only serve to boost your own ego.

Keep your friends close but keep your enemies even closer; i read somewhere

 

[stoke]

Shhh. Be quiet. The minister of communications is communicating. ROFL.

 

[mbs]

You all miss the point. Irrespective of whether it's her or any other politician, religious leader, entertainment icon, or any other famous/notorious personage you can think of, it's NOT the job of a journalist to fabricate news, merely to report it. Yes, they can also comment on it, but that's subject to editorial policy and is the job of the editor. (And for those followers of Thompson, note that this is not divergent from the gonzo approach, but actually reinforces it.) Quite frankly, I couldn't care less whether Ivy had a soiree or not, but I do take issue with someone attempting to make it newsworthy, and utilising this mechanism to sway public opinion about something, particularly when it amounts to nothing more than a cheap shot at not being invited for free booze or eats - no wonder journo's are generally viewed as a bunch of parasites! Ivy is quite capable of polishing/tarnishing her own image as she sees fit - she certainly doesn't need Weideman's commentary or fabricated reporting for this purpose, as history has proven! Ah well, each to his/her own...

 

[Vio]

I agree with mbs, the article really smacked of a journalist just throwing his toys out of the cot because he could not go. Nothing more nothing less.

It would have been a different story if Ivy invited them to partake and then after some critical article she stumps their pass.

 

[ic]

Did Poison Ivy have Bulelani Nquka as her mentor...?

In the spirit of each to my own...not missing any point - I just have a different opinion!

This is the sort of thing that really makes my head spin around 360 degrees, it is the choice of individual journalists as to whether a particular political soap-box briefing warrants their time & attention & interest of readers, it is not up to the politicians to handpick their journo-pets (variant of teacher's pet).

Poison Ivy did you learn nothing from Bulelani Nquka's mistake...? Aparently not!!! In the world of politics you speak to ALL the press, failing to do so is called favouritism and actually reveals (rather than hides) any pre-existing hidden agendas.

 

[mbs]

... it is the choice of individual journalists as to whether a particular political soap-box briefing warrants their time & attention & interest of readers, it is not up to the politicians to handpick their journo-pets (variant of teacher's pet).

I agree 1000% (though in practice it is up to the chief editor to decide whether to publish or not) - but that does not justify drafting and publishing what essentially amounts to sour grapes. It's not newsworthy - politicians the world over have their favourites/sycophants/mouth-pieces, and we all know this. Hell, in the bad old days the Government actually created a Department for this - it was called the Department of Information, headed up by Eschel Roodie. They used the SABC for their own ends, and even started the Citizen newspaper as a print propaganda channel!

Weidemann should make amends by establishing whether anything newsworthy was announced at Ivy's bash or not, THEN publish it, together with his sour grapes commentary - in that context it would be completely acceptable. In the absence of this, however, I think his understanding of journalistic ethics falls short of what is considered acceptable, and he should publish an apology to the public for writing an article about a non-newsworthy event, the justification for which appears to be nothing more than being upset at not being invited...

 

[reech]

Agreed MBS - however I think that it's a telling portrait of Ivy's attitude - and that might well make it worthy of commentary.

 

[ic]

...Weidemann should make amends by establishing whether anything newsworthy was announced at Ivy's bash or not, THEN publish it, together with his sour grapes commentary - in that context it would be completely acceptable...

Since he was not actually there to discover first-hand what was being discussed, would publishing such info not merely be hearsay...? Besides, surely the pets that were invited are the ones that should be doing the publishing, considering they were actually there & have the 1st hand info? Are there any articles yet from pet attendees? I would like to read them...

 

[mbs]

... would publishing such info not merely be hearsay...?

Not if he attributes his sources properly. Collaboration amongst journo's is also not unheard of, particularly those doing investigative reporting - the line is usually drawn just before first publication (the so-called 'scoop' imperative), but subsequent to that, collaboration is perfectly acceptable. Not that I think anything newsworthy was said at Ivy's bash, anyway - we would have seen/read/heard something by now, I'm sure.

... and that might well make it worthy of commentary.

I presume you mean Weidemann's article, and not Ivy's bash. If you indeed meant the latter as evidence of her attitude, then a big 'Who Cares?' We all know her stance or lack thereof, and don't need the sour-grapes wafflings of a journo to understand it, particularly when it's published as a newsworthy item. If you meant the former, then yes - his commentary is worthy of commentary, hence my response on the ITWeb site (now published, I see - good for them!), and my repeated postings to this thread. But methinx I've said more than enough - this will be my last posting on Weidemann's Folly...

 

[rpm]

I think it's cr@p, and Weideman should know better. Here's my response to the article:
"So you've had the good grace to publish an article bemoaning the fact that you were not invited - how is that newsworthy? IMHO, you're just as guilty of attempts to manipulate the collective public mind as she is, by bemoaning her selective invitation list. Methinx you would've served the journalistic ethic better, had you endeavoured to establish and publish exactly what was said at the soiree!"

Hi MBS

An interesting and justified response as always

To me the exclusion of certain journalists, especially from the top IT website in SA, is big news (hence newsworthy). His article makes us aware that we get subjective reporting on certain issues. While the article could have been somewhat more objective, I quite enjoyed the personal tone and hard hitting comments.

Regards,

RPM

 

[ic]

mbs, IC that "IC"'s comment has also been published on ITWeb, however I notice that no one else has double quotes surrounding their name...interesting bcos I didn't use no double quotes when I submitted my comment am I special or what...?

 

[mbs]

mbs, IC that "IC"'s comment has also been published on ITWeb, however I notice that no one else has double quotes surrounding their name...interesting bcos I didn't use no double quotes when I submitted my comment am I special or what...?

LOL! Hee-hee - maybe the editorial staff saw on this forum that you've been outed by DOMINIC, so decided to make sure that 'IC' is recognised by the reading public as a pseudonym only - you sure are special, Madam Minister!
/awaits vehement denials of identity theft and self-disparaging 'poisonous' characterisations...

 

[ic]

Well whilst I have been granted ministerial power what should I do 1st, oh I know I will rewrite the Convergence Bill, that should take about 2 weeks max if I draw on the resources of MyADSL members, I will trick Thabo into signing a document that exiles $izwe & makes him persona non grata & a refugee...but where...oh I know I will export him to Haiti...only a fair exchange, inbetwixt that I will announce that Wifi can travel over your wall & through your fence between you & your neighbour & to your neighbour across the street, I will immediately send in troops to seize control of the SAT3 & SAFE landing stations & install MyADSL members to control things, I will tell ICASA to go back to the CPIX version of their price capping formula & sign it into law effective tomorrow morning 00:00:00.01, what else...?

 

[ic]

Oh yes, I forgot to sell me shares in Telkomonopoly & donate the proceeds to NGO community projects that promote IT projects in (still - forget about previously) disadvantaged communities.

What else...yes now to get Thabo to sign away the 39% share certificates in Telkomonopoly that Thabo hides under his pillow & takes with him on his plane every 2 days to exotic places that have nothing to do with running the coutry he was elected to preside over...