Leaving the ethics of publication by other sites aside, some observers are questioning whether Rolling Stone missed an opportunity to capitalize on its story. With the wave of perfectly legitimate commentary, discussion, excerpting, and follow-on reporting that the story generated, it wasn’t until late Tuesday afternoon that the original story even showed up on the first page of results for the Google search “mcchrystal rolling stone.” That had Business Insider’s Joe Pompeo asking, “Did Rolling Stone Just Massively Blow its own McChrystal Scoop?”
Bates, for one, didn’t see it that way, and wasn’t inclined to second-guess his magazine’s approach. “If we could have foretold the future, we probably would have had the story ready,” he said, but he had no regrets. Sparking discussion and follow-up reporting is “part of what we’re in business to do,” he said. “If the word’s out all over the place, that’s terrific.”
It seems from what I read yesterday, passed on to friends and family and listened to on the PBS Newshour last night that the "grapevine" for gossip still rules the roost(sorry about mixed metaphors) over Internet or media of all sorts. Being in California means that I got to it quite late in contrast to those on the East Coast. Ironically it wasn't the Rolling Stones magazine that popped up to tell me without my first having to find a note in the Internet about McChrystal on TIME magazine which made a reference to the magazine's article that I could access it from there. Talk about circuitous routes!!! I am glad to see McChrystal go. Obama must put his foot down in much the same way that Harry Truman had to with MacArthur though the statements made were different, the dissent and disparaging remarks all were against the COMMANDER IN CHIEF. After having been reprimanded for his BBC speech in London a few months back and then to be socializing with any reporter let a lone Rolling stones which hashad a reputation since its initiation not to like the military and not to keep with military or formal social protocol, he was way out of line. Petraeus should be a good replacement since he was on the ground in Iraq with the "surge" actions with the Sunni groups and gained some knowledge of Afghanistan with his travels and his actions at Centcom. Let's just hope that the Afghan people understand his actions, the Afghan men in police and army positions learn their duties as citizens to protect their own people without the use of opium or orders from the Taliban. Then we can bring our soldiers home soon and in one piece.
#1 Posted by Patricia Wilson, CJR on Wed 23 Jun 2010 at 03:27 PM
what I make out of this event is that it was shock reporting. I have little opinion of McCrystal but the savagery of his take down was nauseating. I think it was beyond functional and abuse of a public figure
I call myself a Democrat, in reality, there's no where else to go. However, i agree with some of what McCrystal's aides said about Biden, and Holbrook and Hillary Clinton.
Rolling Stone is a music magazine, somewhat like National Enquirer getting attention by breaking news of titillating personal flaws, The author, I forgot his name, is currently making this story about him and his cleverness for hanging out with the guys, bonding and then :kapow" gotcha. That is not journalism.
It does not make any difference that the story was late. It would have caused the same reaction from Gaga fans if they were obsessed with something or anything the stone wrote and after feverishly searching, couldn't find it.
#2 Posted by Madeline Bryant, CJR on Thu 24 Jun 2010 at 06:26 PM