Thursday, June 21, 2007

The best and the bankrupt

Allow me to offer my congratulations to the finalists in ASBPE's Magazine of the Year and Website of the Year competitions.
ASBPE announced the final cut earlier this week. There are 20 magazines (in two circulation categories) left in the running. While 10 Web sites still have a shot at the grand prize.
The full list of finalists is available on ASBPE's Web site.

It's worth noting that one of the Web finalists is eWeek, the same publication that outraged me when I found it was a finalist earlier this year in ABM's Neal Award. ABM later showed the good sense not to give the award to someone who violated the ethics rules of our profession.
eWeek also later came to its senses .
But I would still hate to see a publication that demonstrated such disregard for our standards be named the best B2B publication on the Web. So I'm hoping that ASBPE opts to snub eWeek as well.

Note: in the Jan. 29, 2007, post in which I first complained about eWeek's unethical practices, I also made note of the parent company's dismal financial situation and predicted that "regardless of how things turn out, it’s unlikely that Ziff Davis’ owners, private equity firm Willis Stein & Partners, will get back anything close to the $780 million they paid for the company in 1999."
Well today Ziff Davis announced it was selling its Enterprise Group, which includes eWeek, for $150 million. The company remains riddled with debt. So it now seems likely that bankruptcy court will be the next stop for Ziff Davis.

Click here to read min's coverage of the sale.
Click here to read Folio's coverage of the sale.

tags: , , , , , , , , advertising

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 23, 2007

    I've seen intellitext links at the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the Huffington Post. It's an industrywide problem. Why don't you knock off the rabble rousing, go do some reporting, and bring some balance to this blog?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous,
    You're acting like a moron. And you're demonstrating a lack of comprehension that is shocking.
    First -- yes, the ads in question are an industrywide problem. But this blog is about trade journalism. So I write about the ads as they affect that industry. I don't cover the Atlanta Journal Constitution any more than I cover the New York Yankees.
    Two, this is a blog. Balance is not required. The blog is an opinion piece, like a column. I don't shoot for balance because it has no place in opinion writing.
    Third, you suggest that I do some reporting. I assure you, I've done quite a bit of reporting in my time -- roughly three decades of it. I still do some in other venues. Sometimes I do some here. I know that you have a hard time understanding this -- but this is a blog. It is a place where I write about things that interest me. It's where I express my opinions. It is not a newspaper article. I have no obligation to "report" or to write in inverted pyramid. This is not a newspaper. I am not bound to adhere to the styles and formats of newspaper writing.
    Fourth, "rabble rousing" is a long-standing and honored activity among journalists. Why in the world would you suggest that any journalist stop?
    And fifth, just what "rabble" do you suppose I'm rousing? ASBPE? Other journalists?
    And sixth, what is with the anonymous personal attacks. Neither I, nor anyone I know, has any interest in listening to a coward lecture on appropriate behavior.
    Anonymous, you have demonstrated a lack of understanding of some of the most basic concepts of journalism. You seem to be demonstrating a lack of respect for your peers.
    Perhaps it's time you left the business.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Paul,

    Late response, but: The judging for the competition, I believe, was done before eWeek posted the IntelliTXT links. I'm not part of the ASBPE awards committee, though, and don't know what they are thinking about this.

    Martha Spizziri
    Vice President
    Boston/New England Chapter
    American Society of Business Publication Editors

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Martha,
    Thanks. I think that was the same situation that ABM found itself in. eWeek made it to the finals before it broke the rules.
    Regardless, it's clear to me that ASBPE should NOT reward a publication that has violated our standards. Let eWeek try again next year, after 12 months of not behaving unethically.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJune 28, 2007

    I don’t know any journalists who handle differences of opinion by calling people who disagree with them morons. But you’re right. Free speech protects all bloggers, regardless of what they have to say.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous,
    I don't call "people" who disagree with me morons. I'm calling you a moron.
    Many of the other people who disagree with me are quite bright.

    ReplyDelete