What is Digg?44 Comments
- Ignignokt01, on 10/12/2007, -6/+20Fake news or over-hyped news will not be tolerated by the public audience, if I was running that website I would have fired him just as quickly. If you want to be a good reporter or journalist, you shouldn't overhype your articles, and you shouldn't report on other journalist's research. (This is where TV news sets a horrible example, and probably why so much internet blogging/journalism just totally sucks) You will do your own researching and will write honest articles. There's no easy way to becoming a famous journalist, you just gotta put in the work and time to go out in the world and find out interesting news.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+13This is the difference between a tabloid and a broadsheet. Do you want to sensationalize stuff? To have "fun", as it were? To write articles with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer? Go write for a tabloid.
There is a place for both tabloid journalism (Robert Summa) and broadsheet journalism. To fault Joystiq for wanting to be a broadsheet is idiotic beyond all sense. It's their right to be whatever type of news source they want to be, and it's their right to fire any writer or contributor who does not follow with their editorial policies.
Going off to whine about it on another site, as this guy did (find the link in this article), is childish and shows all the more reason why he SHOULD have been fired. From his tone, it's pretty obvious that this was not the first time he butted heads with other Joystiq writers. - whiskeymb, on 10/12/2007, -8/+18the guy made a pretty obvious mistake and it pissed off a lot of readers. I don't blame joystiq from letting him go, they should have. remember 2 years ago when CBS said they had proof that Bush had some issues in the national guard? well, they overhyped that story and it proved squarly to be inaccurate and wrong. they made a journalistic mistake and Rather was fired over it. This is what journalistic sources need to do, take some responsibility for what they sell. If bloggers want to be treated with respect and intelligence, they can't just rollover when they make a huge mistake like this.
- Ascus, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6If over-hypeing was grounds for termination in journalism. They would fire every one of the local news casters.
"Does a household chemical pose a deadly risk to your child?, details at 11, then at 11:29 they say "Don't let your children drink ant-freeze" etc.
The article was a little overhyped, but it was news, and I actually thought it was signifiant. Comparing this to Dan Rather and the fake memos, it is perposterous, There was delibrate mis-leading and an agneda over and beyond geting viewers. - tizz66, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5I was annoyed as much as anyone about the lame story that came out of the hype.
But the fired guy has a point. His editors knew what the story was, and so they had a whole day to edit the hype post if they thought it was too OTT. But they didn't. Seems to me they used him as a scapegoat after they realised how annoyed the readers were. If he gets sacked, his superiors should too. - Bitgod, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Shrug, I don't get it, it wasn't that big of a deal, I took it as a joke. Seriously, people need to get their heads out of their butts and chill.
- raindog469, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Much as it pains me to come down on the same side of an argument as ilyag, Joystiq has absolutely done the right thing.
Sure, they're not the New York Times or whatever, but there's a huge difference between a site that pays its bloggers (the new word, I guess, for "reporters" or "correspondents"), and some random guy's LJ or blogspot site. I think the fact that their bloggers almost always use their real names is an indication of their desire to be an actual news organization and not just another "OMG the Wii/PS3 is here and it r0x0rz" site.
To get to their current position, they spent a few years reporting news accurately, without bowing to corporate hype (their own occasional fanboy hype notwithstanding) and without doing the kind of grandstanding Summa did. A big letdown like what happened last week could, and did, damage their credibility. Firing Summa won't get it back for them, but I think it's an important step towards getting people to think they're serious again.
And for what it's worth, I think he'll fit in fine on destructoid.com. - apoc06, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4this is a paraphrasal of my previous response on the topic:
i think summa's response was still written in semi anger. i think he should have waited a few days to cool off before posting his rant. perhaps then his response would not have come off in a negative light and he would have done better in explaining his side of things.
my personal take is that it was wrong to hype a non-news worthy piece when it was not exclusive to the site and obviously was biased. they bashed sony understandably so for the entire week prior, and then IBM/ Nintendo feed them that story. it was his [and joystiq's] idea to run a teaser. therein lies a majority of the problem. readers submit arguably better tips to joystiq all the time, i know i have sent them several. those tips rarely make the site, much less get an accompanying teaser. i have a problem with thinking that if the wii news was accepted without public backlash, joystiq would have set a precedent for becoming a direct marketting tool for the major companies.
joystiq has a very thin rope to walk when it comes to their bias over there. their party line is that they undermine and post sarcastic commentary about each console equally, but this bit of hyped non-news was obviously devoid of any such sarcasm or second guessing until patrons and previous wii supporters spoke up. remember, none of this was an issue until it was apparent that people werent going to allow the sheet to be pulled over their eyes.
i dont think this was an issue worthy of firing summa on his own, but he made it clear that he had a history with not fully agreeing with policy/ practice at joystiq. summa is a very good writer and i read destructoid from time to time anyways, so i will still get to see his work. however, in a sense its hard to take his bias as casual sarcasm to heart anymore in light of how he played this issue. his journalistic integrity took a serious hit, and i hope to see the day he can rebuild that level of public trust again. - smellythai, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I myself was awake and kept awake that night till 12. I was somewhat let down, but cmon, I wasnt really expecting much anyways.
Its not like the people who got upset has a bedtime, so whats the big deal?
What were people expecting? - shadgenki, on 10/12/2007, -8/+11Ditto. As a Joystiq reader, I can honestly say that reading over-hyped news is a regular occurrence. But teasing people with promises of an imporant 12:01AM post, only to find out that it's some insignificant B.S. is totally intolerable. Out of about 800 comments that I read following that post, I'd have to say at least 750 of them were negative, which about a third of them calling for Summa's resignation or termination.
Regarding loyal Summa followers leaving Joystiq to read his hyped garbage elsewhere: Good riddance. People who want reliable news from a reputable source will continue to read (or return to) Joystiq now that this assbag has been canned. - dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I snuck this headline out of their offices...
Batboy plays the Wii! Impressions after the jump! - thelelander, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Joystiq has to maintain credibility. If its writers are acting like hype-mongering tabloid journalists, there's a problem. Summa wanted to be on top of a story and got carried away, and that's irresponsible behavior for a (credible) journalist.
- fldash, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6Good riddance! We read enough over-hyped (title whoring) crap on digg; we certainly don't need it from a reputable source.
- apoc06, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"blogs get their credibility by letting their writers says what they want to say with fear of an evil corporate oversight..."
how about: "blogs get their credibility by letting their writers says what they want to say without fear or /the intervention/ of an evil corporate oversight..."
"check back at 12:01 for this major news!" that level of hype is generally reserved for an event like e3.
he was sent the press release with the intention of helping ibm/ nintendo hype it. he did just as told without much regard to questioning the newsworthiness of the press release.
case in point, at the same time of that release ibm also announced that they've produced 3 million cell chips. given that the cell yields have been called into question countless times, i would think that would be more newsworthy as a debunking of a rumor, but since it was sony news [positive at that]... it went unnoticed. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4You know, I had been wondering the same thing myself. It had plenty of duggs to make it up front:
http://digg.com/gaming_news/Joystiq_Fires_Robert_Summa_for_IBM_Wii_hype_Summa_relocates_to_Dtoid - burrito4891, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6You guys that think he should have been fired are insensitive *****. A guy lost his job over reporting something with MORE enthusiasm then needed. My viewpoint on Joystiq has dropped significantly. Sersiously, if people are this sensitive then maybe you should go outside and get some air, because we're talking about bad reporting on video games.
- Nobi-Wan, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Angry or not, his response had some very valid points. The editors knew the info that was going to be released and saw his title sitting there the entire day. They had plenty of opportunity to tone it down if they felt it needed to be. To be honest, I think IBM got journalists a bit hyped up by saying that the info was not to be released before 12:01. Journalists, being information whores, will take this info and read into it and possibly think it means something else in the grand scheme of things.
Summa was informing people who may not have heard it otherwise. I think the whiney bitches that overreacted in the comments forums took the "news" a little too hard and Joystiq bent to the whims of the 14 year olds disappointed that the news wasn't as big as they had hoped. It's a ***** blog, not Newsweek or the New York Times. The apology was a weak attempt at passing off the blame to the only scapegoat they could find. - av4rice, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I wouldn't mind if all of them got fired. Compared to Engadget (same parent company), their writing is consistently terrible.
- Bioshocker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3"To fault Joystiq for wanting to be a broadsheet is idiotic beyond all sense."
Untrue. Joystiq is not and can never be a broadsheet. Its mechanics (short time-to-publish and paying its writers on a per story basis) mean that it is setup well for distributing rumors and gossip. But they also mean that it is setup badly for big stories that require solid fact checking and thorough research - the requirements for broadsheet journalism.
It shouldn't try to be a broadsheet, because it will never do it as well as other sources can. It should play to its strengths - providing a breadth of small fun stories that are "tabloid" in their depth (or lack thereof). By and large it does, and that is why it has been successful to date. - cresswga, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3My reaction is...so what?! This is what happens when blogs get ideas above their station and start to think they are 'respectable' publications.
They are just a blog and anyone who got their titties in a twist over some hype needs to get over it.
It's not as if it wasnt big news. It is just that the fan expectation outstripped the actual news content by the time it was posted and nothing short of "We are giving away a Wii to the first 100 people to comment" was going to placate them. - shadgenki, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3Hm, maybe readers were expecting what they were promised? I mean, I didn't get upset over it, but it definitely made me think that Summa is a hack.
- bonked, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5Ok, so the announcement that chips were shipping wasn't considered news by people who assumed the news would be "WII NOW ON SALE - GO GET IT AT THE LOCAL 24/7 WAL-MART IMMEDIATELY"
***** you if you think that wasn't news, and that the headline was misleading, I see no hype here - for folks in the industry it was a "Major" announcement as it claimed. - kidcodea, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If they didnt fire him, i would never visit joystiq again. And like me thousands. After the public excuse posted, the letting go of that prick that wasted the time of thousands, also abusing the joystiq name, was just the obvious move.
In fact, one without the other would still be offensive.
This way, joystiq earned a LOT of credibility. In a funny way , maybe even more than what they had. - mike_p, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Take it easy jack...
All i'm going to say is fans of the blog shouldn't forget what Robert brought to Joystiq. His superiors knew that he had posted that note and if THEY had a problem with it, THEY should have said something or completely removed it. It isn't fair to put Summa on the stake, especially when he notified the others on what his intentions were. This is merely someone going down because the fans want someone shot dead for raising their hopes... a bit extreme?
Get over it... seriously. - djSyndrome, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4Is this Digg going to get pushed into hiding like the last one about Summa?
- daridave, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I would have fired him myself. Some people forget that behind all this video game buzz, web sites, blogs and hype, there's actually a company that's running a business and while everything looks cool to us, this is the kind of mistake that hurts your business, and there is NO such thing as friendship or forgiveness in that world. Welcome to reality, pal... now get a new job and don't do the same mistake twice.
- dvddesign, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I wonder if he got any stars as part of his severance package.
- SpacemanSpiff, on 10/12/2007, -4/+5@whiskeymb
I'm sorry, but I just can't compare Joystiq with CBS, especially considering the Joystiq news was sensationalism about a video game console and the CBS issue was in regards to slander about the President of the U.S.
Bury me if you want, but I think people need to remember that Joystiq is a blog. I think the punishment should be scaled a bit. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3There's a difference between hype coming from a company's PR department, and hype coming from the press. If it's the latter, the person responsible for it deserves to be crucified. This is why I have no problem when Apple announces their products in a very enthusiastic manner, and have absolutely no tolerance when websites unrelated to Apple post what amounts to spam (this is one example: http://digg.com/apple/Top_10_Reasons_To_Buy_A_Macbook_For_Making_Music )
- c0dy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2You obviously didn't read the amount of speculation that that same post generated. It had more than 1000 comments full of speculation AND excitement, and I'm pretty sure it's the most commented on ever in Joystiq.
It's understandable that they were under NDA, but to be honest, the amount of hype Robert Summa created was something that could have easily been avoided. - smellythai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I wouldnt call it a promise.
Its like when your mom says "you can have the green power ranger for your birthday"
Thats not really a promise, nor do you actually count on it. Thats just how I saw it. - thelelander, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Yes, they should fire every local newscaster, imo. The whole point of blogs is that people are disenchanted with the news options available, and go to other sources. If Joystiq was pulling crap like it did last week every other day no one would read it, for good reason.
- dmgr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2anyone who was unprofessional enough to publically bash their previous employer definitely deserved to be fired, and any site who would let their new hire do that on their first post, also deserves to be put on the list of sites I dont visit
joystiq might have been wrong to let him post it but they did damage control as best they could and the simple fact is since joystiq did not go blabbing the details of the incident we will never know what really went on, and we shouldnt since it isnt our business
Robert Summa on the other hand just looks like a petty vengeful ex-employee who did all he could to bash joystiq and it certainly makes me believe joystiq did the right thing - mprobins, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1The problem wasn't the "story" (Wii chip shipments starting). The problem was the pitch (Zomygod this is the biggest news evar!).
- xavier42, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3I support Joystiq on this move.
- merdiesel, on 10/12/2007, -6/+4His little headline made my day at work go hella slow that day! so screw him, he should of been fired.
- mprobins, on 10/12/2007, -3/+1The guy is clearly a jackass with an ego the size of a bus. He lacks perspective and is incapable of admitting mistakes. And where his superiors take action to correct his mistakes he reacts as if it is a personal attack.
Nobody wants a guy like that working for them. - Nobi-Wan, on 10/12/2007, -5/+3@ shadgenki
Sounds like someone stayed up a wee bit past their bedtime for the Joystiq news post and now they're all cranky.
Sure it was sensationalist and a tad bit dramatic, but I didn't stay up for it and once I saw it I was like, "Oh, ok who cares." It's kind of stupid to take this so personally and call for his resignation. - Sabot, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1I am glad they made this move. The report they made was shameful. All they have is their reporting to stand on. If they stood around and did nothing, I wound never have looked at this site again.
Thank you for making the right choice. - Alexton, on 10/12/2007, -8/+5I'm still sort of mixed on the subject. Firing seems like waaaay too much, but then again, the whole thing was a complete hype factory. It bothers me.. but I've seen other sites do worse.
- nekomimi, on 10/12/2007, -7/+3Firing Rob over this was the stupidest thing. If we fired people because overhype fizzles out, no one at Apple should have a job.
- RicDesan, on 10/12/2007, -10/+6Adios Joystiq!
- dharm, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2i guess that what happens when your blogging type news site is owned by AOL
i dunno about firing the guy, but the guy deserved something... it was stupid hype for something that wasnt even that impressive - Warchiefgrim, on 10/12/2007, -19/+12I know I and many other people have stopped reading Joystiq and have moved onto Destructoid (where Rob works now) because of this whole thing. Joystiq takes themselves way too seriously and just gave up their only fun blogger.
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