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I am quite surprised that the BBC ran this piece, which seems to be an advert for Pivotal. I guess this is just how PR works, but again, the BBC is supposed

I am quite surprised that the BBC ran this piece, which seems to be an advert for Pivotal. I guess this is just how PR works, but again, the BBC is supposed to be neutral in promoting individual businesses.

charlieegan3 10y ago
The BBC is far from neutral. I think it's pretty dangerous to believe that they might be able to neutrally report the news (even if they wanted to).
crdoconnor 10y ago
A few years ago they laid off a whole bunch of journalists. Often they just don't have much time to write their own stories. The institution is a shadow of what it used to be 10 years ago. It used to hold the government to account. Now it's more like a British RT with added clickbait.
gaius 10y ago
Well, the BBC is unlike any other news organization, culturally - it is more like a branch of the Civil Service. If you showed up for an interview there as a tech journalist and you actually knew the difference between say Java and C++ because you'd used them both, then you're "just not our sort old chap". But show up wearing the right old school tie, conjugate a few Latin verbs, and spend the interview reminiscing about the good old days punting at Oxford and you're in. So the whole place is stuffed with people who fundamentally can't evaluate whatever they're told by any outsider - not even which outsiders are really experts or not.
matt4077 10y ago
Judging by the upvotes it's getting here, people are interested in it. The fact that it may be in Pivotal's interest for the article to be published should have no effect on the BBC's decision-making process – the same as it is with critical articles.
jacques_chester 10y ago
There have been a few articles like this, I presume we have PR folk shopping us around to journos. In some ways, the "gee whiz" and "look how quirky!" stuff is highlighted because it's a novelty. That's how you get press: you do something different in a way that can be understood by others. Cutting through to the essence of anything takes time and practice, which a reporter doesn't have. For example: is Google all about free food? Of course not. Is Valve entirely their desks? No. Individual practices aren't Pivotal. Individuals are.

charlieegan3 10y ago

The BBC is far from neutral. I think it's pretty dangerous to believe that they might be able to neutrally report the news (even if they wanted to).

crdoconnor 10y ago

A few years ago they laid off a whole bunch of journalists. Often they just don't have much time to write their own stories. The institution is a shadow of what it used to be 10 years ago. It used to hold the government to account. Now it's more like a British RT with added clickbait.

gaius 10y ago

Well, the BBC is unlike any other news organization, culturally - it is more like a branch of the Civil Service. If you showed up for an interview there as a tech journalist and you actually knew the difference between say Java and C++ because you'd used them both, then you're "just not our sort old chap". But show up wearing the right old school tie, conjugate a few Latin verbs, and spend the interview reminiscing about the good old days punting at Oxford and you're in. So the whole place is stuffed with people who fundamentally can't evaluate whatever they're told by any outsider - not even which outsiders are really experts or not.

matt4077 10y ago

Judging by the upvotes it's getting here, people are interested in it. The fact that it may be in Pivotal's interest for the article to be published should have no effect on the BBC's decision-making process – the same as it is with critical articles.

jacques_chester 10y ago

There have been a few articles like this, I presume we have PR folk shopping us around to journos. In some ways, the "gee whiz" and "look how quirky!" stuff is highlighted because it's a novelty. That's how you get press: you do something different in a way that can be understood by others. Cutting through to the essence of anything takes time and practice, which a reporter doesn't have. For example: is Google all about free food? Of course not. Is Valve entirely their desks? No. Individual practices aren't Pivotal. Individuals are.