Gizmodo
A Gizmodo writer has been banned from CES for a prank. But when I see some fellow press damning us for the joke, I feel sorry for them: When did journalists become the protectors of corporations? When did this industry, defined by pranksters like Woz, get so serious and in-the-pocket of big business? This is totally pathetic.
Consumer electronics tech journalism is very tricky. Those who strictly cover commercial CE depend on a powerful handful of companies for the very lifeblood of their content. That's a dangerous position. A "favor" by a company can turn into the laziest kind of "scoop" imaginable, a scrap from the dinner table for the dogs of journalism. And every gadget journalist has wrestled with his conscience as he gains more access and becomes inseparable from the industry and depends on more and more of these scoops.
But bloggers and trade journalists, so desperate for a seat at the table with big mainstream publications have it completely backwards: You don't get more access by selling out for press credentials first chance you get, kowtowing to corporations and tradeshows and playing nice; you earn your respect by fact finding, reporting, having untouchable integrity, provocative coverage and gaining readers through your reputation for those things. Our prank pays homage to the notion of independence and independent reporting. And no matter how much access the companies give us, we won't ever stop being irreverent. That's what this prank was about and what the press should understand.
Critics talk about the prank costing dollars and jobs. Motorola said "no harm, no foul" and enjoyed the joke. (Although they will be checking every body cavity I have for IR blasters next press conference.) Were there AV techs who got in trouble? They need only show their bosses the video to be blame-free.
Many of our harshest critics have done far worse than clicking off a few TVs. I'm talking about ethical lapses such as accepting paid junkets to Japan by Nikon, or free trips to Korea by Samsung. Turning a blind eye to Apple's mistakes when they didn't make an iPhone SDK and sought to lock down the handset. Stock prices torn downward by publishing incorrect leaked info. Writing about companies that also pay you for advertorial podcast work. All of these examples are offenses from the last year. And I consider those offenses far worse than our prank, because it ultimately it puts the perpetrators on the wrong team. As one reporter put it while chiding me, "Journalists are guests in the houses of these companies." Not first and foremost! We are the auditors of companies and their gadgets on behalf of the readers. In this job, integrity and independence is far more important than civil or corporate obedience. Every tech journalist has to decide whether or not he's writing for companies or for readers. When they start writing for the companies, covering all their press releases and regurgitating marketing jargon, you do no one any favors (not even the companies, which already hire press release machines).
Gizmodo was given access to film and interview Bill Gates again this year. Some pubs might have softened up on questioning him, but we didn't: We got the guy to open up and talk about Windows and its shortcomings like he never has before, not even on 60 minutes. If that's not journalism, I don't know what is. If we had been in the pocket of this industry, we never would have asked such a risky question—and probably wouldn't have been granted the interview to begin with.
In closing, I will fill you in on our little secret: TVs turn back on when you press the power button a second time. So, I can assure you, everything is going to be OK once the companies find their clickers between the couch cushions of our prank and your obedience. Will our critics find it as easy to turn their integrity back on? I doubt it.
Comments
Nice one Giz. I think you should fight the powers that be and sneak in next year...
Whatever makes you feel better about it...
Is there another article I missed that really details the prank? I get that someone turned off a screen from the image and the remote mention. Am I missing some epic LULZ article about the prank itself? :)
Given that only one Giz staffer was banned, I think the CES organizers recognize that this wasn't a serious offense -- but SOMEone needed their "pound of flesh" (hence the single staffer penalty).
haha.. I read that he got kicked out 5 hours ago on a Danish technewz site.. :P
Although I agree with the free-spirited nature of blogs etc, disrupting a formal presentation multiple times is a tad different and more awkward than funny.
so who got banned? the Giz or just the guy with the clicker? Plus, the prank was so good, the price was to be expected. :) I can't believe no one thought of it before. hehe...
@konakazi:
Yeah, take a look back over the past week.
Very, very nice response. Very.
internet drama = more ad clicks
slick
"Many of our harshest critics have done far worse than clicking off a few TVs. I'm talking about ethical lapses such as accepting paid junkets to Japan by Nikon, or free trips to Korea by Samsung. Turning a blind eye to Apple's mistakes when they didn't make an iPhone SDK and sought to lock down the handset. Stock prices torn downward by publishing incorrect leaked info."
Hrmmm... Weren't you and the entire Giz fanboy nation one of the groups to completely disregard and ignore the lack of iPhone sdk and PUSH it on us consumers as the Jesus phone? Nothing like hearing about confirmations of what we "the objective and skeptical" consumers suspected. Just like any other media outlet... you sell out and sell out your audience to buy bad products.
Everyone of the offenses you claim others to have done-you have done, the unquestionable iPhone, the publishing of false information affecting the market etc.
-I thought the pranks were hilarious but you shouldn't have named the contributor who did it.
Cry me a river. Journalists aren't the protectors of corporations but they also aren't supposed to be pranksters -- harmless or otherwise. Then again, you guys aren't journalists.
I support this highly humorous approach to technology. And I think most real tech people on every side of the fence do too. So keep on ignoring the trash.
I watched the video, it was funny at first but I suppose there's a thin line between a prank and all out disruption. I don't agree that journalists are 'guests' and I think these companies would do better to shrug it off and show consumers they have a sense of humor. Overall, you guys should have quit after the first 100 TVs no?
A giz writer? .. they should ban you all
@jdr: Some of the best journalists in history were exactly that. Weirdos who did weird things to poke the estblishment and see what happened.
I think I would be more supportive of you guys if you hadn't turned off the TV while the guy was in the middle of a presentation. Turning off the walls was hilarious and turning off some of the display tvs where people were playing games was funny, but the look on that Motorola guy's face was gut wrenching. That's the only part I thought you went over the line with.
Fight the power and stuff!
I'd like to see you pull this at MacWorld while Uncle Stevie is giving his keynote.
For turning off a fucking telly?! Jeez.
Keep on fighting the good fight, Giz.
Giz delivers fantastic review, the honesty is why I read it. But let's not try to equate what was really a stupid stunt to your BG interview or ID'ing crapgadget.
This execution was fair and swift. Suck it up and write it off to sleepness nights/booze/porn affected lapse of judgement. I'd hate to see you guys get banned from future interviews on the account of this stupid stunt.
There are two sides, I mean press conferences should not be interfered with, and according to Brian, he told his camera guy not to mess with the press. It was a mistake. But bottom line ,I think, is when you have this type of event you should do some prevention. Remote watches are sold cheaply, programs for any cellphone/PDA with an IR port exist, and interference from another like TV remote can cause problems. Tech guys should have disabled the IR or at least used some electrical tape.
Bringeth forth the Banhammer!!! And lo, the world doesn't really care.
I still don't get what was so hilarious about this elementary school stunt?
It's called context dummy. If you were Richard Christy or Benjy Bronk from The Howard Stern Show pulling off a stunt like this; I'd say that's brilliant. But I don't recall Paul Schindler or Jerry Pournelle pulling off sophmoric pranks during their visits to prior trade shows.
"...pubs might have softened up on questioning him, but we didn't: We got the guy to open up and talk"...this moronic quote brings to mind Chris Rock and his routine about people who "brag about stuff a normal man [or in this case 'journalist'] just does.
They'll say something like, 'Yeah, well, I take care of my kids.' You're supposed to, you dumb motherfucker. 'I ain't never been to jail.' Whaddya want? A cookie? You're not supposed to go to jail, you low-expectation-having motherfucker!"
Anyway, hope you had fun trying to vindicate your actions.
You guys blatantly bragged about the pranks on one of the biggest tech blogs around. Were you not expecting to get in trouble for being annoying to most everyone there? Those people are trying to make money for their company and without them, you wouldn't have shit else to write about.
You fucked up, now deal with it.
I applaud you guys on this one, if anything I'll be visiting the Giz more often (if that's humanly possible). I, in all of my maturity (or lack thereof) thought the "prank" was hilarious. Keep up the good work.
So banning an individual for disrupting a professional presentation is ridiculous? Even most elementary students know if you do something like that you are going to get in trouble. But nice overly wordy justification there Brian. Pretty ridiculous.
This article is hilarious. It's like you're defending yourself from a sock attack with an M1-A1 Abrams. Relax, Giz, the punishment fit the crime; no need to cry about it.
OK Giz, here's my take on this whole hot mess.
1) The press (mainstream and those attempting to be mainstream) are trying to distance themselves from your actions using words like "legitimate", etc. Of course how legitimate was it for all of them (and you guys too) to overhype things like the iPhone before anyone had ever seen or used it?
2) While I certainly have a level of sympathy for anyone taking excessive flack for what I consider to be a fairly harmless prank (even the Motorolla prank because all they were doing was pitching to people who will give good reviews regardless because it's the only service they offer); but don't go putting yourselves up on the cross. You're not martyrs, don't play the part.
3) Your level of future access should be unhampered because these events are open to the consuming public, right? So I don't see how individuals will be prevented from securing interviews and etc.
@bigslide: lol, being banned from Macworld would be the least of their problems.
You guys kick ass.
Nice comment on Engadget ;-)
I'm pleased you were able to get Gates to open up. I'm also glad you're around to lambaste products and policies that need doing so. No question, this is certainly commendable.
I guess I don't see how what could be seen as ethical lapses by other negates this act of actively interfering with companies' displays. This, to me, would be, paramount to walking around the cell phone area of CES with a jammer.
A ban for something so... harmless? They're rising hell as if you installed cameras in the women's bathrooms and aired 'em on the TVs.
...did you?
I personally thought it made for a great watch... so are the people making and supporting these presentations so technically inefficient that they have to put such blame on giz?? Its not like they set all the monitors to explode.. Not a self proclaimed technology savant but if I see the TV go off I immediately try to put it back on (im a genious, yeah right)... Well at the end of the day CES could have used this highlighting that its still a symposium for creativity and not a drone for big business..
The philosophy is sound, but hardly a justification. It was a prank and, as professionals, these antics should be avoided.
But the blog world was a little quick to jump on this as a gross misuse of credential, access.
I find these petty slapfights tiresome. Along with all the Joe Schmoe armchair critics that only care when their sensibilities aren't being catered to. And only then do they boldly declare "I won't be reading [this blog] anymore."
You're confusing intent with justification, Mr. Lam.
Just so we're perfectly clear on this issue, you invaded this trade show with malicious intent because you and your publication are juvenile. You are childish and silly, and wanted to have fun at the expense of professionals. As the managing editor of a major income generator, you are responsible for the activities of your editors. This half-ass "spirit of journalism" justification for boorish nonsense at an important event for every aspect of your industry is the most complete failure to manage I've seen in blogging.
Dragging competitors through the mud in response to negative press surrounding your immature behavior just cements Gizmodo's status as the Bush League of gadget journalism. This is a total failure to take responsiblity coupled with a desperate strawman. Should have been a mea culpa, sir.
I would side with Gizmodo if the joke was remotely funny, but it was childish, and equivalent to bringing a laser pointer to CES and zapping people between the eyes.
Personally, I couldn't care less, or think less, of Gizmodo for being banned, but this self-righteous BS column is more then I can can stomach.
You guys aren't martyrs or true "journalists"; you are "bloggers".
The prank had NO message, don't try to pull this BS; from above: "Our prank pays homage to the notion of independence and independent reporting. And no matter how much access the companies give us, we won't ever stop being irreverent."
Every year ES becomes more and more banal corporate pablum and I seek out better coverage that calls them on their crap.
TLDR
Can't pull this at Macworld. Apple probably pairs their equipment with specific remotes so a TV-BGone would be useless X-D
Lighten up Francis....
there seems to be a lot of people around here with sticks up their asses.
Good. Giz showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are not professionals by any means. They have no right to be at a show like this and should be banned if they think that such behavior is at all acceptable at such an event. Good job on destroying any professionalism you might have once had by acting like a bunch of children.
All actions have consequences. Deal with it.
He can have my CES invite for next year! :)
Looking at the pics and reading the blurbs saves me from having to walk the 5 billion miles of floor space at the LV convention center looking for a couple of cool things.
Plus the swag budget seems to have dropped to nil.
@B@tM@n: If I recall, Giz's official iPhone review was and I'm paraphrasing here: nice, but don't buy just yet.
well.. I think it was MAX fun to do that prank.. but doing it under several presentations might be crossing the line.. I dont know.. anyways.. enjoyed you video! :P
ohhh. and Ive heart that Blakeley got banned and that they are discussing if Giz is allowed inside next year atall.. lol
You guys should've had me do this, this way you'd be free from any obligations, and if/when I'm banned, I won't care since I won't be covering the stuff next time. Think Giz think!
Right on.
Thanks for sticking to your guns. I will never stop reading Giz in favor of that watered-down "legitimate" media.
In fact, I haven't even read one of those legit publications since... well...a long time now (10years...11 years?)
Your refusal to bend over and take it, and to meet your detractors by looking them straight in the eye and moving forward is the best.
as they said in the 90's - "fuck'em if they can't take a joke"