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How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

cultofmac.com

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Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#21

Post by bnegreve »

dxm wrote: post #4

Gosh. If I could laugh I would have been doubled over. Does the author really think that Apple put this much thought into not letting certain journalists into new coverage. This is pretty much a thought of a conspiracy theorist, Apple surely doesn't think about communist conspiracies from the 1940s, they merely think you're either a bad journalist or one who is consistently unfair. The detail in which the linked arti…

> Does the author really think that Apple put this much thought into not letting certain journalists into new coverage.

Techniques to control public image over social networks are getting more and more attention. For example academic papers here: [1].

Of course I don't know about Apple in particular, but really doubt that they don't look into this "just because".

[1] http://icdm2012.ua.ac.be/content/session?id=15

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#22

Post by mstolpm »

Having working with PR departments of various companies, almost all had some sort of blacklisting/whitelisting for journalists and media outlets. Seems to be perfectly normal because the job of those departments is to influence media coverage to be positive and widespread. Working with some journalists is more effective than working with others and some have proven in the past to not be worth spending time (and money) on.

Mike Elgan concludes: "Ultimately, it’s not that big of a deal." True, but then readers should ask: Why is he writing a big column singling out Apple for this behavior? Eyeballs?

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#24

Post by graeme »

chrismonsanto wrote: post #23
schrototo wrote: post #9

He's putting himself on my blacklist by using OnSwipe. How is that shit not dead yet?

What is OnSwipe and why is it so bad? Never heard of it until now. I'm not even sure what it is from the front page of their website.

it's a tablet version of sites with horrible usability.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#25

Post by weaksauce »

chrismonsanto wrote: post #23
schrototo wrote: post #9

He's putting himself on my blacklist by using OnSwipe. How is that shit not dead yet?

What is OnSwipe and why is it so bad? Never heard of it until now. I'm not even sure what it is from the front page of their website.

It's the terrible software that they are using to cripple the web interface in tablets. The browser on my iPad is great... No need to paginate with swipes.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#27

Post by nknighthb »

chrismonsanto wrote: post #23
schrototo wrote: post #9

He's putting himself on my blacklist by using OnSwipe. How is that shit not dead yet?

What is OnSwipe and why is it so bad? Never heard of it until now. I'm not even sure what it is from the front page of their website.

A shitty, laggy, memory-eating UI for mobile/touchscreen devices that people who have absolutely never used a tablet put on their websites thinking it makes them cool. In reality, it is a sort of reverse-DDoS on mobile web users.

I assume it's really a secret plot by Microsoft to make the mobile web unusable and drive everybody back to PCs where they're still semi-competitive.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#28

Post by Shamanmuni »

dxm wrote: post #4

Gosh. If I could laugh I would have been doubled over. Does the author really think that Apple put this much thought into not letting certain journalists into new coverage. This is pretty much a thought of a conspiracy theorist, Apple surely doesn't think about communist conspiracies from the 1940s, they merely think you're either a bad journalist or one who is consistently unfair. The detail in which the linked arti…

So, are you saying that Apple, probably one of the most secretive and PR savvy companies in the world, doesn't give much thought about its relations with the media? Really?

The article wasn't talking about a conspiracy, read it again. It's just what you said, Apple doing PR control.

If they think that criticisng Apple or its products makes someone a bad journalist or unfair and they are blacklisted, then in actuality they do care a lot about journalists.

A tech journalist is at a disadvantage with the rest if he is denied early access to products, and he won't get that unless he writes pretty things about Apple. We have a word for that: blackmail.

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#29

Post by chadwickthebold »

ryguytilidie wrote: post #26

I was with him on the "blacklisting people in the press is bad" thing. When he started comparing it to the red scare you really have to worry about his connection to reality.

Further down... "It needs to be said, of course, that comparisons between, say, McCarthyism and Apple’s PR strategy are absurd. I make them here only to illustrate the history and purpose of blacklisting."

Re: How Apple’s ‘Blacklist’ Manipulates the Press

#30

Post by nknighthb »

mansr wrote: post #10
stevebennso wrote: post #7

Is this a problem? If you write articles saying that you don't like me, I probably won't send you any free stuff or invite you round to my house. They're a consumer electronics and software company, not a government department. If they don't want to talk to you or send you any free stuff, that's up to them and I'm 100% fine with that. Why do you need to visit them or get free equipment from them to write articles any…

Public perception is influenced by the first reviews published on a new product. If you give a few known friendly writers early access, there will be a few days of nothing but positive reporting. Mainstream media will then pick this up as "overwhelmingly positive" response to the new thing. Of course Apple has the right to behave like this. Nevertheless, it's good for consumers to know that the early reviews are care…

Uh, who exactly doesn't realize all companies try to control press coverage? Controlling perceptions is the concise version of a PR job description.
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