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The real issue here is not Wikipedia. It's the fact that for 6 months a single call was enough to shut up the whole global press. Just imagine how often the oth
by onreact-com 17y ago
The real issue here is not Wikipedia. It's the fact that for 6 months a single call was enough to shut up the whole global press. Just imagine how often the others call: governments, corporations, Scientology...
- jonknee 17y agoIt worked because it was a reasonable request. It wouldn't have worked so well for unreasonable requests (e.g. hiding US torture policies).
- anamax 17y ago> It worked because it was a reasonable request. It wouldn't have worked so well for unreasonable requests You mean "unreasonable" requests like wrt other kidnappings? Of course it's unreasonable to keep quiet to protect "those people" - they're not reporters.
- tptacek 17y agoWhen your single call is "if you run this story, one of our reporters will die", the reporter on the other end of the phone is going to take that call very seriously. That doesn't mean a single call that said "don't run that story about the real reason Sarah Palin resigned" is going to work the same way.
- vaksel 17y agoAnd do you think the same result would be achieved if the person wasn't a reporter?
- tptacek 17y agoNo, and that's my point. It was a unique situation created by the nature of the information at play and the people handling it. And you can make a federal case out of that happening, but it isn't an ominous Orwellian phenomenon.
- bliving 17y agoHow about "don't run that story about Monica Lewinsky"? That call was taken seriously by Newsweek. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewinsky_scandal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewinsky_scandal
- tptacek 17y agoAnd by apparently nobody else; read the cited Drudge piece.
- onreact-com 17y agoDon't run tis story or someone will die? Don't write this or the terrorists strike. Don't write about our soldiers killing and raping in Iraq as they may die in retaliation. Don't write about that epidemic or more people may die due to panic... News is always about life and death. This way the Chinese also argue when subduing information about the Tian'anmen massacre "to prevent more people from dying".
- tptacek 17y agoI'm pretty sure you didn't read my comment. Maybe you meant to make this reply a top-level comment of its own.