More Rumor Control: Engadget's Side of The Story
Thu May 17, 2007 10:59PM EDT
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Unless you live under a rock, you've probably heard about yesterday's infamous iPhone blog post heard 'round the world. In a nutshell, Engadget posted information about a possible iPhone delay, Apple's stock plunged 2.2 percent as a result, and regret ensues as Engadget learns the information that motivated them to post the story in the first place was bogus. If you're not familiar with the story, you can read Chris Null's take on it here.
Today, Engadget issued a statement with details of what happened yesterday. Basically, they claim an Apple employee whom they trust forwarded the email to them. The email was indeed sent to several Apple employees, which made it appear more legitimate to their source. They also claim other mainstream bloggers received similar emails, so after several failed attempts to contact Apple's PR team, Engadget published the news. The rest is history.
After four billion dollars lost, world wide media coverage, finger pointing, rumor control, and countless apologies, one question remains: Will the iPhone be delayed?
According to Apple, the iPhone is still scheduled to ship in late June.
I have to say, I'm an Engadget fan. I've been reading their site for a few years now, and still consider it a blog I can rely on for information. Aside from this incident, these guys are usually very careful about what they publish. I would say, more so than most blogs.
Unfortunately, this is one boo-boo that will haunt them for a long time. I'm sure we haven't heard the last regarding this iPhone scandal, and I can't wait to hear all the juicy details either.
Tell me what you think about this whole iPhonegate scandal? How much do you trust the blogs you read? Did any of you lose money over this? Come on, you can tell me.
Related:
Bloggers Taken for a Ride in a $4 Billion Hoax
Rumor Control: Apple iPhone Isn't Delayed
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1 Posted by jajohn11 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:27PM EDT Report Abuse
I see two possibilities here: 1) Engadget's source was (knowingly or unwittingly) part of a scheme to take advantage of the rumor to make some money by manipulating the stock price. We see those emails all the time: "Bright Saskatoon Tanning (NASDAQ: BSTan) to skyrocket tomorrow"; the spammer has already bought short to sell when the suckers buy in. This could be a more sophisticated version, and it worked. 2) Engadget's source was played themselves by Apple trying to discover who is leaking information. It is a common technique to find leakers: Apple sends different information to different suspected leakers, and then waits to see which stories make it into the news--thereby identifying the leaker(s). Since Apple's PR folks didn't respond, I'd guess the latter explanation is more likely. Real journalists get played this way, too; they just don't actually publish the story (their inquiry to the PR department accomplishes the task). Either way, Engadget is simply a pawn in a very commonly played game--which is one more reason to treat all journalism with a grain of salt and read critically (as I teach my government students): everything is the National Inquirer until there's reason to believe otherwise.