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TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

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Re: TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

#91

Post by jacquesm »

silencio wrote: post #87
plinkplonk wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You're making it sound like it's some sort of minor slip-up that happened to get publicized." I think his point was (EDIT: I am just clarifying what I think his point was, not endorsing it) not that it was a "minor slipup" but that the person who committed this is a kid and not an adult (17 is a bit borderline but still pretty young)and he is asking for some compassion and discretion. At least that is how I read it.…

For some reason, this "oh he's not an adult" line of thinking very much bothers me. We should be looking at things like..how much experience does he have writing? with publicity and marketing? How many times has he admitted to doing something like this, and how many more people went up to Arrington and voiced their concerns about what he did? Where was the TC team while this was going on...or did he just not ask anyo…

There is something known as a 'signal function', others in the same position will think twice (or thrice) before doing something like this.

Remember when microsoft tried to bribe tech bloggers with laptops ?

http://slashdot.org/articles/06/12/27/1423234.shtml

This whole thing does not stand in isolation.

Is there a code of conduct for blog ethics?

Re: TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

#92

Post by jacquesm »

ugh wrote: post #83
jakarta wrote: post #78

Considering he is just 1 year shy of being an adult, I don't buy the 'kids make mistakes' argument. The intern really must be devoid of ethics if he wants to extort laptops out of start ups that are hoping for press. The fact that it had also occurred one other time is more disturbing, it means that this was not some momentary ethical lapse but a real attempt to receive bribes. I don't really understand how anyone ca…

One year shy of being an adult? I've met 18 year olds and they are not adults. Give him a break. And a second chance. Only call him a serial offender if he actually is one. Do you really believe that he should be punished for life ("no one will do business with him again")? What a fucked up attitude is that?

Well, according to Arringtons post he already is a serial offender, at least two instances, possibly more.

Re: TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

#93

Post by chairface »

pg wrote: post #58
patio11 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Bob Smith creates a tablet computer which runs Flash and cures cancer tomorrow, that has some news value N1 and some pageview value P1. If a particular media outlet gets an exclusive on that announcement, then it has news value N2 and pageview value P2. delta(N1, N2) is zero -- it is still news tomorrow no matter how many people report it. (See: iPad, which was apparently a story of staggering importance despite h…

The difference between being paid to cover something and covering something in return for an exclusive is that in the latter case your readers benefit as well. Even if your only criterion in deciding what to print was how newsworthy it was, you'd still be more likely to print a story if you'd been given an exclusive.

How does a reader benefit from news that is available from fewer sources?

Also, if you're more likely to print a story when given an exclusive, then newsworthiness is not your only criterion in deciding what to print.

Re: TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

#94

Post by jstevens85 »

jakarta wrote: post #78

Considering he is just 1 year shy of being an adult, I don't buy the 'kids make mistakes' argument. The intern really must be devoid of ethics if he wants to extort laptops out of start ups that are hoping for press. The fact that it had also occurred one other time is more disturbing, it means that this was not some momentary ethical lapse but a real attempt to receive bribes. I don't really understand how anyone ca…

I don't think this is a major lapse in judgement. It's standard practice for newspapers/magazines to ask for a certain number of pages of advertisements in exchange for a feature article. In fact, I know that for many smaller trade magazines, the articles are actually written by the marketing staff of the featured company.

Re: TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

#96

Post by joshfinnie »

jacquesm wrote: post #52
mikeyur wrote: post #38

This was a friend of mine, really feeling bad for him. One mistake and he's paying for it. Fortunately it will eventually fade away. Edit: http://twitter.com/loic/status/8666998987 - Loic gave some good advice, I can't get ahold of him but hopefully he'll take it.

I'm all for that, and also for owning up completely as to how often this happened. TC yanking the content to avoid tainting is one thing but it would be good to know what the extent of this is. Another thing that bothers me about this is that I can't see how a 17 year old given the keys to the kingdom would come up with such a scheme, that's hardly the first thing that crosses your mind when you start your career. If…

See, I have a different view on this. I am not faulting the intern at all, it is really the company that wanted the write-up. If you are going to bribe someone at TechCrunch, who do you contact: Mike A. or an intern?

I think the intern's response was a good start to what is going to be some time before his reputation is back to normal, but I think we need to see who this company was and blame fault there.

Re: TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

#97

Post by gte910h »

wheels wrote: post #66
jacquesm wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Leaving common sense to the judgment of 17 year olds is a great way to find out that not everybody has common sense. You do it for their protection too.

If you're old enough to be writing professional articles at a major news source, you're old enough to know that asking for goodies in exchange for articles is not ok. I can't imagine that he was confused on whether or not this was acceptable; he just made a bad choice and got caught. The typical errors of young-adulthood are not those of moral incompetence, but simple bad judgement.

They're neither, they're errors of "acting before stopping and thinking". The part of your brain that considers the effects of your actions in the future and on others doesn't develop usually until at the earliest 17, at the latest 24.

This is Exactly the type of error 17 year olds make.

>Adolescents frequently know the difference between right and wrong, but they have diminished capacities to understand and process information, to communicate, to abstract from mistakes and learn from experience, to engage in logical reasoning, to control impulses, and to understand others’ reactions. The psychological evidence suggests that immaturity of adolescent judgment is not under voluntary control. >New imaging studies reveal patterns of brain development that extend into and beyond the teenage years.6,7

From: http://www.hhs.gov/opa/familylife/annualconfabstracts/brain_...

Re: TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

#99

Post by lucifer »

gte910h wrote: post #98

http://www.hhs.gov/opa/familylife/annualconfabstracts/brain_... Folks, he's 17. This is a 17 year olds type of mistake. His brain isn't fully developed yet. In a past era, it would have just been covered up.

"In a past era" a 17 year old male would have been a married man with children and serious social responsibilities.

Re: TechCrunch Intern Admits To Asking For Compensation For Writing Posts

#100

Post by hexis »

lucifer wrote: post #99
gte910h wrote: post #98

http://www.hhs.gov/opa/familylife/annualconfabstracts/brain_... Folks, he's 17. This is a 17 year olds type of mistake. His brain isn't fully developed yet. In a past era, it would have just been covered up.

"In a past era" a 17 year old male would have been a married man with children and serious social responsibilities.

Yes, that's how mistakes were covered up, exactly.
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