http://tinfinger.blogspot.com/2006/11/asher-moses-debacle.html
The Asher Moses debacle
Mike Arrington seems to be accreting enemies like barnacles on an oil tanker. The latest stoush involves Asher Moses (his blog appears to be down, though the Google cache isn't), journalist for the Fairfax newspapers (Sydney Morning Herald and The Age).
The last two weeks has brough a fresh wave of TechCrunch hate. I’ve learned to avoid responding to this stuff in the past because it just draws more attention to it, but tonight a reporter from the Syndey Morning Herald named Asher Moses emailed me and said “First off, great site - i’m a regular reader of yours.” He then went on to say he’s working on a story about the “disclosure scrubbed at techcrunch debacle.”I took issue with his use of the term “debacle” before actually speaking to me - this tells me everything I need to know about this particular reporters slant on this “story,” and basically told him to fuck off. And while I’m not surprised that someone is looking to do a hit job on TechCrunch, I am surprised that traditional media is starting to see TechCrunch as newsworthy enough to attack. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.The first lesson to learn here is that if you want to act like a journalist when you talk to Mike Arrington - or any source for a story, for that matter - it is best that you do your homework on the type of language you should use.
Journalists are treated with apprehension at the best of times, as most people who have had any previous contact are highly aware that a wrong word by them could result in adverse publicity. This is especially true when you're cold-calling a source, who doesn't know you from Adam and thus doesn't know about your own level of professionalism and history of ethical conduct (or otherwise).I don't blame Mike for treating journalists like heavy ordnance, because he knows all too well that little red glowing dots are being painted all over his head and torso by snipers in the MSM who would love to bag him for their trophy cabinet. Asher should know that, being a reader of TechCrunch, and his first strategy should have been to spend time disarming Mike. Just giving a glib bit of praise wasn't going to cut it. Asher's language got him in trouble.As for why the MSM are attacking Mike and TechCrunch, that is obvious to me, at least in the context of the tech media. First, TechCrunch is a direct competitor to tech media such as the technology sections of the Fairfax newspapers, which have been sickly at best since the last boom. If there is to be a new boom, then TechCrunch and its imitators are the media vehicles that will dominate new ad campaign budgets. Second, the TechCrunch model is an attack on tech journalism itself. Its writers are not arts degree holders or J-school graduates, they have MBAs and computer science backgrounds. They're startup CEOs, not journalists, who see writing not as a singular full-time profession but as a tool that is only one part of their personal arsenal of weapons to Get Shit Done. Third, Mike is beating them. He's getting the scoops that previously bolstered the circulation and/or page views of CNET, Computerworld and PC Magazine.All of this leads to a situation of mutual distrust that is bound to spill over into spats like this. Mike is perfectly reasonable if you treat him with respect. He doesn't owe journalists anything, and if they want to get anything out of him then they have to realise who they're dealing with.UPDATE: Along with all of the other kerfuffle in the blogosphere,
Herald journalists did themselves no favours by continuing to display arrogance in their responses. David Higgins left a highly condescending comment on Crunchnotes lecturing on how Mike must adopt formalised ethics and kowtow to journalistic institutions in order to join David's exclusive club of collegial old boys. Also, Stephen Hutcheon of the SMH's Mashup blog posted a petulant piece which characterised the post you are reading as an "uninformed rant". Hey, my rants are all informed! Hutcheon saw fit to publish a private email from Arrington to Moses... does that break clause 3 of the MEAA Code of Ethics about respecting confidences in all circumstances? Funny how the only supporting article that Stephen could find was at another MSM source. Not that there weren't more anti-Mike articles out there, but the Fairfax lads haven't shown any inclination to engage with bloggers at any level above paternalism. The more they talk, the higher they hoist their petard.
posted by Paul Montgomery 7:58 PM
4 Comments:
Phillip Molly Malone said...
Hmmmm... Makes me think of Bad whether and tea this story (i.e. put the bad whether in the cup for the tea). Why does Mike get to bag the ass out of people when it suites him but when questioned, he goes crying to mummy? If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen! And he complains about PayPerPost advertisers have the option to only accept positive articles! Maybe Mike should take another Mike's advice and start by looking at the man in the mirror!JMTC (if I am allowed to have my own opinion by Mike)Molly
7:05 AM, November 02, 2006
Asher Moses said...
Don't fret Paul; i'm sure Mike will get around to covering your startup eventually. No need to try so hard.
8:25 AM, November 04, 2006
Paul Montgomery said...
Heh, he covered it even before I was ready, and I'm still not ready. Thanks for the advice though, Asher.
12:35 PM, November 04, 2006
Rogers said...
Arrington's persecution complex doesn't help his credibility. He built his name on adoring press calling him a Web 2.0 kingmaker. It was inevitable that the press would eventually get around to dethroning him.
Friday, April 2, 2010
alias Asher Moses calls Aussie women sluts
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
alias Asher Moses muslim views on SMH
http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/05/14/smh-tech-writer-snagged-in-johns-group-s-x-storm/
You’d think a technology reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper would be aware of the perils of airing his private views on very public internet forums.
Apparently not. Sydney Morning Herald geek-in-residence Asher Moses found himself in deep trouble last night after he broadcasted his take on the Matthew Johns “group sex” scandal via social networking site Twitter.
At around 7pm, Moses, having just witnessed Johns’ squirm-inducing 22-minute interview with Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair, posted his considered assessment of ‘Clare’, the then 19-year-old at the centre of the controversy that looks to have ended Johns’ media career.
ashermoses: So Matthew Johns’ career is over because a slutty groupy [sic] had consensual group sex with him and his teammates 7 yrs ago and now regrets it?
The offending tweet was quickly retweeted by several of Moses’ 796 followers, who rather than acquiescing silently, unleashed the online equivalent of the Ten Plagues:
@ashermoses Sooo … you think that apart from doing something morally wrong, you think he … didn’t do anything wrong? Right. Of course.
@ashermoses You’re right! What with a journalist NOW calling her a ‘slutty groupy’, why wouldn’t cops believe an entire NRL rugby team?
@ashermoses How’s this for an opinion — you don’t think its a problem for a group of people to coerce another person into s-x.
@ashermoses is ‘one of those types’. Always a bit sad to lose another one.
But instead of standing by his comment, Moses quickly deleted it, possibly unaware that in the Twittersphere, the digital imprint is permanent.
He then went on the defensive:
ashermoses: I regretted the choice of words but I still think johns is being unfairly treated.
ashermoses: Ok, shouldn’t have put it in those terms. But I think both made their own decisions.
ashermoses: I just think Johns is being crucified when cops haven’t charged him with anything. Morally, I think he was in the wrong.
On the question of rape, Moses expressed his deep seated faith in the Antipodean criminal justice system:
ashermoses: if she was coerced he would have been charged 7 yrs ago … if the cops charged Johns with rape I wouldn’t have this opinion.
After the Twitterstorm died down last night, some other Twitterers raised the question of why Moses should be able to retract his comments, when the same opportunity isn’t available to posters on either the SMH blog to which Moses contributes, or the hard copy of the paper.
To which Moses responded:
ashermoses: Twitter isn’t SMH.
Contrast that with what Moses said himself in this SMH feature written in response to the Fake Stephen Conroy scandal: “Making seemingly private comments on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter is now a sackable offence for some professions,” he wrote.
Crikey contacted Moses for comment but he didn’t respond before deadline.
You’d think a technology reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper would be aware of the perils of airing his private views on very public internet forums.
Apparently not. Sydney Morning Herald geek-in-residence Asher Moses found himself in deep trouble last night after he broadcasted his take on the Matthew Johns “group sex” scandal via social networking site Twitter.
At around 7pm, Moses, having just witnessed Johns’ squirm-inducing 22-minute interview with Tracy Grimshaw on A Current Affair, posted his considered assessment of ‘Clare’, the then 19-year-old at the centre of the controversy that looks to have ended Johns’ media career.
ashermoses: So Matthew Johns’ career is over because a slutty groupy [sic] had consensual group sex with him and his teammates 7 yrs ago and now regrets it?
The offending tweet was quickly retweeted by several of Moses’ 796 followers, who rather than acquiescing silently, unleashed the online equivalent of the Ten Plagues:
@ashermoses Sooo … you think that apart from doing something morally wrong, you think he … didn’t do anything wrong? Right. Of course.
@ashermoses You’re right! What with a journalist NOW calling her a ‘slutty groupy’, why wouldn’t cops believe an entire NRL rugby team?
@ashermoses How’s this for an opinion — you don’t think its a problem for a group of people to coerce another person into s-x.
@ashermoses is ‘one of those types’. Always a bit sad to lose another one.
But instead of standing by his comment, Moses quickly deleted it, possibly unaware that in the Twittersphere, the digital imprint is permanent.
He then went on the defensive:
ashermoses: I regretted the choice of words but I still think johns is being unfairly treated.
ashermoses: Ok, shouldn’t have put it in those terms. But I think both made their own decisions.
ashermoses: I just think Johns is being crucified when cops haven’t charged him with anything. Morally, I think he was in the wrong.
On the question of rape, Moses expressed his deep seated faith in the Antipodean criminal justice system:
ashermoses: if she was coerced he would have been charged 7 yrs ago … if the cops charged Johns with rape I wouldn’t have this opinion.
After the Twitterstorm died down last night, some other Twitterers raised the question of why Moses should be able to retract his comments, when the same opportunity isn’t available to posters on either the SMH blog to which Moses contributes, or the hard copy of the paper.
To which Moses responded:
ashermoses: Twitter isn’t SMH.
Contrast that with what Moses said himself in this SMH feature written in response to the Fake Stephen Conroy scandal: “Making seemingly private comments on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter is now a sackable offence for some professions,” he wrote.
Crikey contacted Moses for comment but he didn’t respond before deadline.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
alias Asher Moses juvenile tabloid reporter
Asher Moses stupid reporter for Sydney Morning Herald and their other Newspapers.
http://hoydenabouttown.com/20090514.4924/asher-moses-calls-woman-slutty-groupy-on-twitter-twitter-explodes/
Asher Moses Tabloid fabricated Articles for Fairfax Media
http://www.policeabuse.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=38&p=39#p39
Asher Moses story telling
http://tinfinger.blogspot.com/2006/11/asher-moses-debacle.html
http://hoydenabouttown.com/20090514.4924/asher-moses-calls-woman-slutty-groupy-on-twitter-twitter-explodes/
Asher Moses Tabloid fabricated Articles for Fairfax Media
http://www.policeabuse.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=38&p=39#p39
Asher Moses story telling
http://tinfinger.blogspot.com/2006/11/asher-moses-debacle.html
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