Comments on: Who's to blame for spreading phony Jobs story?

Silicon Alley Insider and CNN are at center of controversy surrounding false report that Apple CEO Steve Jobs suffered a heart attack. Citizen journalism may not be solely to blame.

[humanssssss]

Investors are to blame!

[Seanathome]

Yeah... even though Steve is the founder and visionary, the company can still live without him. It seems like the investors like Steve Jobs rather than the Apple company. ;)

[Norseman]

No, investors are not to blame! Speculators are to blame. Investors are in the market for the long haul because they believe in the company they're investing in. Speculators (day traders) are the clowns who react to fake news in minutes and want to get rich in hours or days, not months or years. It's speculators that are screwing up the market royally!!!

[buggermenot]

Greed is to blame... if you play the market like you gamble at Vegas don't expect me to give a rip!

[bob1xxxx]

Uh no really its apple there making themselves vulnerable. Lets see apple with Jobs at the helm exciting innovative company with good share holder value. Apple with anyone else at the helm, disorganized, (left M$ unmolested to take over the personal computer world) and a over valued penny stock. If Apple wants to stop this rumor stock price tumbles they need to establish a clear line of cooperate succession (due Jobs bouts with cancer, which was kept secret so shareholders don't trust apples press hacks) and highlight apples other creative minds other than Jobs. Right now most investors see a bright future for apple only as long as Steve Jobs is alive, because they believe without Jobs imagination dreaming up new products brilliant guidance apple will be soon on the penny stock rocks. Jobs need to put his ego in check and run a aid campaign showing there is effective corperate leadership in the event of his illness or death and when Jobs pass off to the big apple store in the sky new and inovative products are not go to cease (ie high light the hardware IT and software developers that actually come up with and create apples innovative products). But honestly I serious doubt apple will do that because Job's gets his rocks off playing the roll of the wizard of oz to the sea of dorthy's (ie apple fan boys and girls). So apple share holders expect more scares or move out of you apple positions if you can stand the share price roller coaster.

[Norseman]

Wow! Talk about reality distortion! Steve Jobs is the "face" of Apple right now, but he's obviously not the only creative or talented person in the company! Your perception of Apple seems to be that without him, the company will dry up and blow away. That's nuts.

[Galaxy5]

I'd take the time to rebut your post, but the writing is nearly incomprehensible. You don't do your arguments any good when you make them impossible to read.

Punctuation and line breaks. They're your friends!

This guy writes like a computer nerd who dropped out of school sometime during the 7th grade. Almost incomprehensible!

[[e-mail]]

Apple is to blame? Steve Jobs is to blame? What is in the water that causes such systemic cranial failure. It is so simple... one DORK through some fatal quirk of personality filed a malicious report to the only source gullible or inept enough to broadcast it. Personal responsibility strangled by an incipient juvenile and a corrupt media outlet. It is sadly, that simple. The victims are not responsible.

[mcb01]

I stopped reading after that stupid dollar sign.

[Macbrewer]

You forgot to put 'Max sux' at the end. PC fanboys like you are just mad because Apple is kicking Microsoft up and down the street, and has been for years. At this rate, MS won't 'own' the computer market much longer. Get over it.

[richtucker]

If the purpose of the person who started the rumor was to benefit financially from a fall in the stock price then it is criminal. We come to respect and trust certain blog/news sites like CNN and if they continue to post unfounded stories as "news" then they will start to lose our trust. Hopefully, the old adage you cannot trust what you read on the internet does become the truth. For Bloggers like myself, I do not want the actions of the few to ruin the trust that some of us work hard to build with our readers. It will drive readers away from blogs if it becomes more common that a high percentage of what you read on blogs is false or sensational. @richtucker

[brian.lee]

"There's no new like bad news!"

The internet has ushered in the era of mediocrity any joe blow can write or say anything without any accountability. Writers don?t bother fact checking because technology has allowed them to pull an article in a moment?s notice, where is with traditional like print or news you can?t recall you have to publish a public apology.

The internet cheapens journalism!

[Eszpresszo]

I could not have said it better myself. The Internet has offered up a phony form of journalism that wasn't possible in the print media. The anonynimity offered by the Internet, and the fact that these "news" portal are located in cyberspace (instead of a physical location) discourages the kind of libel suits that would have certainly occured in the pass, when the press was offering media literally coming off a printing press.As much as I enjoy the Internet, I am beginning to wonder if its negative impact have exceeded its the progress it was supposed to offer us.

[karpenterskids]

Matthew 24:6
"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come."

So much has changed in the past couple years alone...we've gone from a world that printed our news at night to be distributed the next morning...to a world where rumors can start instantaneously, just because every news source wants to be the first to get wind of a story.

And I wonder...who WOULD replace Steve Jobs if he died overnight?

[Norseman]

Probably Tim Cook, the COO of Apple. The way Apple operates, you don't see many of the "behind the scenes" personnel. But I've heard Cook respond to market analysts questions, and it seems to me that he'd be very capable of steering the ship.

[AeroJonesy]

"The public is less interested in us getting the story first as it is in us getting the story right. "

Anyone who followed the story of Heath Ledger's death already knew that. This new breed of journalism has led to a very large lack of accountability. People are willing to break false news stories to boost their reputation as being the first, even if it ends up hurting someone else. And short of defamation, there is no way to hold these people responsible. It just makes it worse when bloggers try to say that this story is evidence of the success of newblogging. If anything, it's the inevitable result of non-traditional journalists looking to push their way into the limelight.

[bob1xxxx]

And I wonder...who WOULD replace Steve Jobs if he died overnight? My point excatelly which is why apple has to make clear that the the company isnt going to tank with Job's death. Otherwise they need to expect more stock crashes.

[Tablloyd]

citizen journalist = unpaid amatuer
cnn, reuters and the rest believe they can replace salaried employees with camcorder-wielding loose cannons. these programs are not launched to widen the news gathering process. they are launched to cheapen the news gathering process.
so wrong

[wango2007]

Not true. Lots of citizen-journalists out there doing excellent work.

What worries me are the so-called professional journalists, especially those at AP. Thet are abusing the 1st Amendment with biased reporting.

[Penguinisto]

I call dibs on some jackass who realized that he was way too late to undo a massive short position he made on a lot of Apple's stocks...

[humanssssss]

So if a foreign investors who's set of rules are different from his country than ours, how is he going to be prosecuted when what he is doing is legal in his country yet illegal in the U.S.? Do we extradite him to the U.S. to try to falsifying a news release for his gain?

People should have the right to free speech and has the right to publish their copyrighted work. If this cheapens journalism, then be it. The fact that people are confining themselves to Fox News and CNN as their authority to accurate and true reporting, is the people problem. I found some bloggers spilling more truths than the popular media outlet. At the end, the reason why CNN does ireport is because it brings people on to participate, and when more people come on, they make more money. I don't see CNN getting rid of iReport. If they do, they will die.

I love the Internet. It redefines a lot of status quo.

[Penguinisto]

Just one problem: malicious lies can be sued over. They're called slander and libel, and no free speech laws or rights protect you from them. None.

[zato_3]

Here's my 2 cent theory:
The internet is the greatest propaganda tool ever invented. Sillicon Alley Insider is a propaganda tool. Henry Blodget is a propagandist, who knew the story was fake, because he googled it just like Arnold Kim did, and saw the same suspect hits. He had to know that printing the story in SAI could crash the stock. At this point he must have called someone. Someone that would say go or no-go. Who did you call, Henry?

[wango2007]

Maybe the report was just wishful thinking. Not everyone thinks Jobs is a genius. He's had the Apple franchise for over 30 years, and has never had more than about 4% market share until very recently when Macs started running Windows.

[dan90254]

you are an idiot. no MAC user actually uses WINDOWS... it defeats the purpose. MACs are the number one computer in colleges and high schools, and now are second (tied with DELL), right behind COMPAQ/HP. They have way more than a 4% share and it has nothing to do with WINDOWS you fool.

Also, Apple leads in music plays (iPod as and 80% share) and they are the number 3 smart phone (which is amazing since the iPhone is only 1.5 years old). So get your facts you loser.

[wango2007]

For the record, Mac sales started up when they went Intel and became Windows friendly. No one can argue that, it's in all the sales data.

It's stupid to to say Macs are tied with Dell. Add up all the Windows machines and compare that with all MAC OS machines, then you'll get a true glimpse of reality.... and the failure of the Mac.

We agree on one point... Apple has become a phone/music device hardware sales company. Computers are of second importance to them.

[Macbrewer]

Where have you been? Apple had over 10 % in the late 80's and early 90's.

At this point they have at least 10%, and climbing very fast.

Finally, Job's hasn't had the Apple 'franchise' for 30 years, he only came back to Apple in 97 or 98. Lemme guess, you are a PeeCee?

[Penguinisto]

Actually, the Intel and Windows angles (they are separate) are a great way to ease folks into using Macs. Once you have one, you start using the Windows VM (via Parallels or Boot Camp) less and less as you find OSX-native replacements for software, or you no longer have the need to use the Windows-only stuff.

If I were Microsoft, I would certainly not find this as a consolation...

[AppleSuxLeo]

Jobs I think , has been dead for some time now. I thought he looked like a hologram on stage at the Moscone center. When Apple has an event now , they just project his hologram onto the stage.

[ewelch]

Once again, regardless of the source of the rumor, Wall Street's lack of integrity, fortitude and respect for accuracy went out the window as the fools who run the show went nuts for no good reason.

When Steve Jobs is gone, don't they think they should at least give the company a bit of time ti prove it can or can't continue? If they can't then why should we care what they think, or why should we bail them out. They'll just keep screwing up the economy as long as they exist.

[nutso101]

Just has long as apple keeps some exciting things happening, they will make up for any short comings in the long run.

[sgurivir]

The news were just as credible as biased political coverage in CNN.

[PistachioConsulting]

Surprised to not be hearing it framed more like "who's to blame for reacting to the phony Jobs heart attack story?" A few remarks get at this, but seriously.

Maybe it tells us more about the hair-trigger, speculative factors stock trades are based on than it does about the failure of citizen "journalism" or "reportage." There's a calculus where SAI decides whether or not to run it, with qualifying language, and there's also a calculus where traders decide whether or not to trade based on such a qualified rumor.

[paganimage]

Aside from the obvious repercussions of leaving such an open gap of reporting to the average citizens to post his/her comments right along side professional journalism -- if such a thing can exist any more given the 24-hour rush to deliver it -- is the obvious run around of real reporters. By allowing the Joe-Neckbones of the world to post their versions of the news, CNN has also found a cleaver way NOT to have to pay for breaking news where it cannot send it's crews in time. iReport was not created as a commitment by CNN to expand the tradition of journalism but RATHER to reduce the bottom line it pays pro journalists, photojournalists, segment producers. and news videographers to cover those events. If each person who posted demanded a cut of the profits they earn reposting your stories with the advertisments they include at the front end, iReport would be dropped like a hot potato.

[kaega2]

The internet is the ultimate tool for communication. In the hands of someone that knows what they're doing, it can be many things. You say the internet cheapens Journalism. Why? Because you believed everything Journalists said before the internet was 100% true?
I agree this is a situation that should have never happened, but how can you blame a news/blog site for posting it? The common people have more blame in this then anybody. I hear people saying they've come to rely on the accuracy of blogs. Do you realize how foolish this is? I don't want to tell you not to trust people, but evidence and facts are what you should rely on, not the person/company that said it. A rumor doesn't start because someone said it, it starts because someone believed it.
I haven't had the chance to see the original journal entry. From what I read above his evidence was based on a "reliable source", what we commonly call hear/say. This story should have been taken with a grain of salt from the very beginning. To block this story would be bad for truth seekers. Who's to say his source wasn't correct at the time of posting? Even if someone was checking for accuracy, who's to say the person making the post isn't more informed? People should be able to read over a journal/blog entry and be able to decipher how reliable their information is themselves. A good and informed journalist will present his facts, and their origins.
I personally believe this story was maliciously posted to convince us censorship is needed for these news sites. I can see it now, 'mainstream news and blog sites will now be taking the time to choose what you can and cannot report for your own safety', and the public will love them for it. What better way to do it? Have a story posted on a site (maybe even your own site) that hurts a company people love so much it practically has cult following. This upset a lot of people that love Apple, and I'm sure most of these people want to see something done about this so it doesn't happen again. And the EASY answer is censorship.
In conclusion, don't let someone spoon feed you the news. Make an educated and informed decision based on what you know, not just on what someone has told you. Besides, when you have the whole world able to present evidence, facts, criticism, and correct mistakes without being filtered which will be more accurate in the end? Think about it.

PS: I agree that Apple is mostly responsible for the drop in stock prices. Like someone else said earlier, it's seen by most that Steve Jobs is the heart and soul of Apple, and if he were to leave the company would go down the tubes. If people believed there were other capable executives and thinkers to keep the company going after Steve dies, this would never have happened. If Steve were to leave Apple, most of Apple's followers would probably go with him (hopefully not in death).

[themainbreeze]

Anyone who follows Apple and has any knowledge of the company and it's history knows how capable it's entire executive team is - Moron

[Macbrewer]

It had a lot more to do with the extreme panic last week than anything else. People are always lying about Apple, mostly PC users who have no idea what they are talking about.

[artistjoh]

It is unbelievable that someone would blame the victim like this in a case of huge moral neglect or criminal activity on the part of the originator of the story.

Either the person did it to manipulate the stock market for their personal profit which results in the collatoral damage of other innocent people losing money. It is the loses suffered by the innocent that makes this a criminal act.

If it was just a prank that is almost as bad. It is repugnant to spread stories of someone's ill health or death. It is a malicious and vile act.

Neither case has anything to do with Apple's corporate arrangements except indirectly, and your insensitivity and thoughtless comments in attributing majority blame to Apple is callous at the very least.