This Post Is Not About Steve Jobs

Journalism

from the no,-really,-it's-not dept

Thu, Aug 25th 2011 11:22am — Mike Masnick

Yesterday morning, I was on a panel discussion at an event, where at one point I was asked about how I choose what to write about. I explained a little bit about the kinds of topics we cover, and then finally said, as I've said for years: "In the end, it comes down to whether or not I find something interesting and if I have something to say about it." I then said: "If there's a story everyone is covering, but I don't have anything to say about it, I don't feel the need to cover it." Hopefully this isn't surprising. We're not a "news" site, but an opinion site. But there's really more to it than that. There's something a little strange in seeing a ton of publications all rushing to cover the same news. There is this focus, these days, on the so-called "SEOing" of the news, where various sites act as "content farms," focusing on writing about whatever's "hot" to try to get the pageviews. As an example of this, earlier this week, right after the East Coast earthquake, I saw someone Twitter joke about an infamous tech news site (who shall remain nameless), saying that its staff were probably rushing out dozens of stories about how the earthquake news spread on Twitter. Anything to get the "pageviews" on searches about the earthquake.

But, as I've said over the years, this strategy makes no sense to me. Why would you ever focus on a strategy of trying to downgrade your content to commodity level, rather than working on content that is unique and actually stands out? Writing the same story that everyone else writes about, without adding anything of value to it just seems like a fool's game. I can recognize that "news" sites feel the need to cover such stories on a completist level, but does the online news reader really need so many stories about a single event? Isn't part of the point of the internet that we can link without having to recreate the wheel thousands of times every time some big news breaks?

Which brings us to the title of this post. When the news broke that a certain famous and visionary tech CEO was retiring, I honestly couldn't think of anything to say about it that wasn't being said everywhere else. But, of course, everyone else felt the need to write something. Just a quick look at Google News on the topic shows nearly 5,000 stories on just that:

And that doesn't count the sections below that main one, where tons of folks tried to come up with other takes on the story. There are, as I write this, 157 stories on how various stock markets reacted to the news. There are another 50 or so stories on his health history. Obviously, this is big news and it's important, but should everyone cover it?

I asked, via various social networking platforms, if anyone minded if we just didn't cover the story at all. And I was a bit surprised at how the near unanimous reaction was to thank us for deciding not to cover the news. There were a few people who disagreed. Only one person seemed really surprised that we wouldn't, saying, "he is significant, why wouldn't you" cover the story. One person offered to give us money if we could go three weeks without covering the story (I'm guessing this post may disqualify us). A few people did say they would like our take on "the impact" of the story. In this case, the answer is I have no idea.

So this post isn't about his resignation. It's about this question of how people cover the news online today, and the desire for everyone to "have the story" just because everyone else does. I'm wondering if that really makes sense. I am, of course, quite comfortable with not covering the story at all. There are lots of stories we don't cover. But I'm wondering about the value of so many publications all writing the same basic story. Yes, some (perhaps many) do add value or different perspectives. But the basic facts are pretty much the same.

So, if we don't cover a story, it's not because we didn't see it or don't know about it. Sometimes, it's just because we think it's pretty well covered by everyone else already -- perhaps too well covered -- and our time may be better spent doing something else where we can actually add some value.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

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–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: internet, journalism, reporting, stories

61 Comments

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Dark Helmet (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 10:52am

You only chose that title to get page views....
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Joe Publius (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:26am

Whoa, Steve Jobs retired?
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Mel (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:31am

Steve who?
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:31am

You're so vain, you probably think this post is about you...
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:33am

My reaction was a "wow," and then to spend the next 18 hours deleting every RSS feed I got about it.

I really need to update my RSS reader to something that can say "filter x+y" for next x days/weeks/years. Ideas?
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:35am

Quantity over quality, it's the internet way.

Out of those 5000+ stories, you can bet than most of them were varations or direct reprints of the AP or other wire story, internal networked stories, etc.

Remember also: while 5000 seems like a big number available online, it might have been also the only print newspaper, or the only local tv news channel, or the only radio station in an area to cover the story. The count online alone is meaningless, because we can see many markets at the same time.

However, the citizen journalist thing also plays into it, with every Apple fanboi and h8tr coming along to praise or bury Jobs. That is all passes as "news" is a big part of the problem. Without the filters, the noise level will get you every time.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:38am

Meh.
While I applaud your ability not to speak when you have nothing to say, I can't fault sites for covering a story that 'everyone' else is covering. I'm continually reminded that the net is a big place and people interact with it in a lot of ways. I guarantee that almost all those sites were the first to report it to *someone* (or many someones.)

That's not even taking into account the myriad ways this news may potentially impact various groups, although that is mostly speculation (excluding the financial sector) at this point.
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John Doe, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:39am

You have finally hit on what is wrong with newspapers today
The news industry is saturated. It is beyond saturated. Instead of competing for readers in towns, cities or counties, all news outlets now compete worldwide. Because of that, we have way, way to many news outlets. They all blather on about the same things and in the same way. Like you point out, all for SEO. They don't add any substance or real research, they just have to get something out and anything will do.

Hopefully the news industry will see massive shrinking as profits wane and then we might see a few sites pop up and do real, old fashioned, in-depth reporting. Until then, we will have to put up with the stuff that passes for news these days.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:39am

Why do I get the feeling you were bugged by hundreds of submissions of the "Steve Jobs Retires" story?
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:43am

Re: ...
And that's why people learn to program.*

(*true story)
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Ninja (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:43am

Re:
Marked your comment funny although it took me a day to find out too (!!) along with the earthquake thing (when I saw it trending in Twitter I thought "Jesus, Japan again?"). I'd mark the article funny and insightful if I could.

The title is as simple as it's genial. And as I went on reading it I found it funnier and funnier (epic win for the disqualification Mike!).

But I have to give techdirt one huge thumbs up for the way you do your 'blogging'. If every1 only wrote about it when there was value to be added news and opinions would... well, be more valued.

Reminds me of one time I had to go looking for the source of some news and I got through 6 sites, one citing the other without really adding anything to the news.

Good article, I certainly see Jobs resignation with other eyes now ;)
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johnjac (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:44am

This Comment is NOT about Mike Masnick
What Mike Masnick doesn't know about me is have I have ten toes but only 9 toe nails.
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Ninja (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:46am

Re:
You get 8/10 for trolling. If you called Mike by his last name you'd get 9 and if you missed the point entirely by questioning his desperation to get page views you'd get 10.

*applause*
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:48am

CmdrTaco
You should have talked about CmdrTaco rather than Jobs. His wife is a redhead and he doesn't wear turtlenecks so he is obviously better.
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duplicatecontentduplicity, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:48am

I still don't know what the story is, except the headline that he stepped down...I suppose if I really wanted to know, there is no shortage if information on it. But I'm a busy person, you see. That's why I'm writing this comment to this blog that I did choose to actually read.

There's just no real explanation for some human behavior. That's the beauty of it. Still, it does seem that a lot of very important stories get buried by gluts of SEO'd news stories...on purpose? Reverse SEO'd? It's not a new concept and since mainstream media is moving online, clearly that is a major consideration in powering what news people hear about and what they don't.

I'm sure it's a big deal for Steve Jobs to make this move. I remember when Bill Gates did. And then there was Disney...
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:48am

Re: Re:
7/10. There was no mention of freetards.
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Ninja (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:51am

Re: You have finally hit on what is wrong with newspapers today
Too many news outfits writing about the same things. You can usually get better info, approaches and opinions from independent journalists and regular bloggers (if you add those as "outfits" then the "saturation" goes mind boggling.

The issue here is that if you consider 'news outfits' to be the terrain and 'news' to be vegetation we are currently living in a barren/desert land with a few oasis every now and then. Quantity is not an issue. Lack of quality is.
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Loki, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:52am

I agree, there is a point where too much is just overkill.

On the other hand, I don't find just linking to one or two stories about some topics is always very advantageous either. I've lost track of the number of times (this is most especially true of political stories) where story X will have details story Y left out, while leaving out details that story Y had. And then I'll find story Z that has details added of missing from X or Y or both.

The services I find most useful are those that give me the X,Y, and Z stories without the hundreds of identical repostings of each.
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Ninja (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:54am

Re: Meh.
That. But Mike covers it. A simple 'news bit' (excuse me, TF) could be enough pointing your 'captive' readers to the proper source if you have nothing better to say about it.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:56am

Why it's good that several places wrote about it
I'm sure you (and many others who post and read here) have thought about this, but I didn't see anything about it so I figured I'd chime in.
If the news wasn't covered by a particular news outlet, how would people who only get their news from that source know about it? Some people aren't like most of us here, reading a very large cross-section of news sources. Some people only get news from local TV stations. Some only read a site or two. Some only read the local newspaper.
So while I wholeheartedly agree that it's silly and a bit annoying that everyone and their metaphorical dog has a story on it, and despise half-news that's created just for pageviews, maybe it's a good thing news is covered in multiple places. But yes, if any news entity is going to run an article, for the love of the gods please have a unique take on it.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 11:59am

Re: Re: Meh.
Amusingly, right after I posted the above NPR said that Americans 'woke up to the news.' I suppose they think their entire audience works third shift.
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freak (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:01pm

Re: Why it's good that several places wrote about it
Here's an idea:

[news]
Steve Jobs Retired (link)
[/news]

A few of the blogs I visit do exactly that; sometimes, they'll post at the end of the day, a single post with links to all the news stories they thought were relevant, but didn't have anything to add to them.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:11pm

Re:
problem was on most aggregation pages for tech stuff, it was 90% of the head lines. Three different sites with 3 headlines each all had stories about. We bit of over kill.
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Michael Long (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:19pm

Re: Re: Meh.
"... could be enough pointing your 'captive' readers to the proper source if you have nothing better to say about it."

So? You still covered it, and there's still a headline (which is what Mike was counting with his Google search).

Besides, how do you know that many simply didn't repost the resignation notice and/or press release? Why do a one sentence blurb that links them to another site, when all THEY did is post the notice?

Why make your readers do extra work? That's not how you keep readers.

FInally, as the parent said, there are a LOT of Apple sites and a LOT of tech sites, each followed by their own audiences. Just because TUAW posted an article doesn't mean that the audience following MacUser or Ars Technica saw it.
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Yogi, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:19pm

Blue ocean
"Why would you ever focus on a strategy of trying to downgrade your content to commodity level, rather than working on content that is unique and actually stands out? Writing the same story that everyone else writes about, without adding anything of value to it just seems like a fool's game."

That's the difference between a red ocean and a blue ocean approach. Obviously, you're blue ocean. i'm sure you know what i'm talking about but for those who don't, here's a link to this theory of innovation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Ocean_Strategy
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:36pm

Re:
I remember when Bill Gates did.

I read that as "I remember when Bill Gates died." I thought I was missing a piece of tech news.
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a sad dude (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:37pm

Re: CmdrTaco
Also, unlike Jobs, there might be something interesting to tell about CmdrTaco that every idiot in the world doesn't already know.
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chuck, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:39pm

Its about time someone explained the new sites to me.
Thanks Mike :)
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Some Other Guy (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:40pm

Re:
I marked you insightful, 'cos I hadn't known either.
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chuck, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:40pm

Its about time someone explained the news sites to me.
Thanks Mike :)
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:42pm

Re: CmdrTaco
Yea, that's a bigger story to me than Jobs.....IMHO....no real reasoning or discussion....wtb dirt!

BTW, the media is clamoring to be the first. I was in WoW when my guildie got notice on his android phone and mentioned it in mumble. I don't have the exact same news apps he does, but 2 min later all my iPhone apps lit up, spam texting me the news.

It's pretty much the media trying "FIRST POST"ing...heh.
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out_of_the_blue, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:42pm

So you do the old "different" schtick.
There's NOTHING NEW here, either! This is practically boilerplate.

In the past, you've mentioned that the most certain way to success is to find what's hot and do it better. This isn't better, it's just the common revulsion against more of what you see nearly everywhere, and a standard attempt to direct that common revulsion to your specific benefit.
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maniac in a Speedo, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:42pm

"and our time may be better spent doing something else where we can actually add some value."

Finding the holier-than-thou, sarcastic angle on stories = Value.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:43pm

Re: Re: CmdrTaco
Redheaded wife.
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Killer_Tofu (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:49pm

My Own Comments
The article above hits home for part of my own comments lately on TechDirt. I used to post a lot more. Lately I tend to post less comments. The reasons are either I don't feel I have anything to add to a story, or I see plenty of other commenters already making the same statement. And I also don't really feel like posting a "me too" reply just to say I agree. I will vote some insightful but as far as I know there is no way for others to tell I did so (and I am fine with that).

So, I still log in daily (aside from weekends, and rarely during evenings) and still peruse the articles (read probably 80% of articles, and go through comments of about 75% of those) but I leave much fewer comments these days.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:49pm

Re: Re: Re:
Steve Jobs was most certainly not a freetard.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:51pm

Re: Re:
Yup, and that get aggregated, mixed, reposted, relinked, and respewed in a multiplier effect, leaving us with tons of crap.
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Atkray (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:58pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
No but accusing DH of being a freetard is quality trolling, provided you survive the experience.
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Anonymous Coward, 25 Aug 2011 @ 12:59pm

How meta.
So, instead of writing about Steve Jobs, you chose to write about people writing about Steve Jobs.

I guess over the next few days you will write about people writing about people writing about Steve Jobs.

Oh, wait, we know he will. That is what the weekend recap posts are for.
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Rob, 25 Aug 2011 @ 1:00pm

Steve's last day
When I see Steve make a video as funny as the one of Bill's last day, then I will be interested. Just made me think that Bill at least isn't a complete ____.
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Un (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 1:01pm

Ra: Ra: Ra:
@33++. Small letters: tech. Big letters: DIRT.

I guess if the matter was as squeaky clean as the fruit farm's marketing art, there would be little to say here. I'm glad you found that the dirt was how the technologists were going supernova covering it and being covered by it. Starbucks baristas blew their steam jets, me bets.
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Joe Publius (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 1:58pm

Re: Re:
My hate of most current pop music has me listening to new radio alot.

Sheesh, I'm turning into my dad.
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Joe Publius (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 2:00pm

Re:
Ceci ne'pas le post du Steve Jobs.
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slick8086, 25 Aug 2011 @ 2:15pm

"Why would you ever focus on a strategy of trying to downgrade your content to commodity level, rather than working on content that is unique and actually stands out?"

Oh come on, you know the answer to this. The readers are not the customer the are the product being sold. Site like that treat readers like factory farms treat cattle.
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Joe Publius (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 2:29pm

Re: Re: Re: CmdrTaco
Dog fancier.
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The recknecks from South Park Or Apple Fans, 25 Aug 2011 @ 2:33pm

Jerbs
They took ar Jerbs
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Janell Jonn, 25 Aug 2011 @ 3:23pm

everyone writing the same thing OR writers are sheep
I really think that in the instance of Steve Jobs stepping down, that most of us, writers or not, feel sad regarding the reason he is stepping down. Not necessarily that he IS stepping down. He is a technical icon and will be for eons. I am so very sorry he is ill and surely wish he wasn't. It's sort of like people sharing their sorrow for someone that they look up to. It helps to read about it and also to share how you feel about it.

Just my opinion.

Janell
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Robert Durkin, 25 Aug 2011 @ 4:36pm

Re: Dark Helmets
Very funny ("You only chose that title to get page views..."). I can't say I didn't have the same thought, but then I started thinking that it was more the foundation of the point. The title instead reminds me of the scene in "Dead Poet's Society" when Charlie Dalton chooses to not participate when Mr. Keating instructs the class to walk about the courtyard, thus illustrating the point.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference." -Robert Frost
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slander (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 5:40pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: CmdrTaco
Has enough underwear to last a week without needing to do laundry.
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Ed Gray (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 5:44pm

Attempt number 3 at preventing Steve Jobs auto-tweet deluge...
http://patent-ed.blogspot.com/2011/08/attempt-number-3-at-stopping-automated.html
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Hooter McBus (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 5:59pm

You just had to sneak a mention of Steve Jobs in here somewhere, didn't you Mike? Always going for the page hits. Tsk tsk.
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darryl, 25 Aug 2011 @ 8:45pm

classic Masnick comment of the year...
Why would you ever focus on a strategy of trying to downgrade your content to commodity level, rather than working on content that is unique and actually stands out? Writing the same story that everyone else writes about,

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA,, that is SO FUNNY coming from Masnick !!!
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darryl, 25 Aug 2011 @ 8:54pm

Usual Masnick 'quality'
where at one point I was asked about how I choose what to write about.

yes you are probably asked HOW alot, and may be even sometimes WHO you choose to write about as well !!!!
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Michael (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 9:35pm

I was sick of all the headlines that started or ended with "shocked the tech world." Who was shocked at Jobs' exit? Did they really think it would never happen? How can the tech industry be shocked before they even know it's happened?

When you choose not to rush into the bleeding edge of developments, you also give up that early advantage in defining what has happened.
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nasch (profile), 25 Aug 2011 @ 10:01pm

Re: My Own Comments
Me too, I used to comment more too!

Wait, what did I just do...
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darryl, 26 Aug 2011 @ 12:21am

wag the dog
I asked, via various social networking platforms, if anyone minded if we just didn't cover the story at all. And I was a bit surprised at how the near unanimous reaction was to thank us for deciding not to cover the news.

Tail wagging the dog !!!!

Mike so you only post what you think the people want to hear from you, what you think will get you the most views.

Facts and news are secondary to you !!!
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Prisoner 201, 26 Aug 2011 @ 1:43am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Only one man would dare to call me freetard...

*slams down mask*

LONE STAR!
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Butcherer79 (profile), 26 Aug 2011 @ 4:12am

Misleading?
Surely this is a case of the LEAST misleading title, as some people constantly accuse TD of being misleading by their titles will surely appreciate...
Or maybe not, maybe TD will be pulled up for being too accurate now...
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thegeek, 26 Aug 2011 @ 5:38am

This post explains the exact reason why I choose to frequent this site. Thanks for not filling your site with bullshit that nobody really cares about the next day.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Aug 2011 @ 7:40am

This post is not about Steve Jobs.

However, Mike did feel the need to mention him, to talk about him, and perhaps to indirect benefit from the traffic buzz around him.

It is always amusing to watch you guys fall for it.
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Aug 2011 @ 10:33am

Re:
Or perhaps it was mentioned because it's what triggered the thought he wrote about?

No?

Well, I guess I'll go back to not reading about Steve Jobs.
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