Sydney's Mainstream technology correspondents: A case of the brain worms?

So, on the tail of Stephen Fenech's ethically-questionable QLink spruiking, and Charlie Brown's half-baked sales pitch for the same, we have yet another case of a "tech correspondent" from a mainstream news source utterly failing the critical thinking test.

On the front page of today's print edition, and prominently on the online version, is this piece of utter fail:

Cookie monsters: browser beware as political websites plant spy devices

What? Surely not? An HTTP server using third-party cookies? On my internet?

Stilgherrian's ever-excellent view on it is here, but for my part, let me say this

Stop listening to the mainstreamers on the subject of science and technology. They have proven themselves to be little more than clueless hacks. Listen instead to outlets such as Delimiter, Crikey and ZDNet, who actually give a shit about their stories' veracity, or at least check the byline for a reputable name.

And if you see something that just doesn't seem to gel with reality, ask a skeptic.

posted @ Monday, November 8, 2010 1:39 PM

 
 
 

Comments on this entry:

# re: Sydney's Mainstream technology correspondents: A case of the brain worms?

Left by JessamyJane at 11/8/2010 9:51 PM
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Hi, I just heard your blog mentioned on the ABC with reference to the media coverage of Q-Link (favourably mentioned too). I ran a search for Q-Link on Pubmed, the free version of the major medical database Medline. Came up with zip - the silence speaks volumes.

# re: Sydney's Mainstream technology correspondents: A case of the brain worms?

Left by Mitch at 11/9/2010 12:10 AM
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Actually, that is not true. The guys at SMH.com.au do a reasonable job.

# re: Sydney's Mainstream technology correspondents: A case of the brain worms?

Left by Jason at 11/9/2010 12:34 AM
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That is, generally speaking, true. SMH are *usually* pretty good. They do run stories from writers I trust on occasion. Ben Grubb and Renai Le May have both had bylines there recently, just off the top of my head.

You've noticed of course, that I'm employing hyperbole and indulging in a bit of my own beat-up to make a point - that is that in under a week three major mainstream tech reporters have utterly failed in their job as journalists.

Today's front-paged SMH piece, I'll remind you, was on the subject of third party tracking cookies, something I've been acutely aware of since I got my first Burst! Media ad account back in, what, 2000? 1999? a ten-year old story, at least, and apparently it's front page news?

It's neither news nor particularly interesting, or as scary as was made out, and certainly didn't deserve frontpaging, but between Charlie Brown, Stephen Fenech and Nicky Phillips I've lost a fair bit of trust in the mastheads of Ch9, the telegraph and the SMH.

Not that I ever had that much trust in the first two
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