On 2/18/06, Renan Yson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On 2/17/06, Sacha Chua <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Well, we can always rebrand or recycle it for other groups. Targeting
> > an article for a specific audience is nice because it makes the target
> > group feel warm and fuzzy, and it reassures them that their needs will
> > be addressed. I'm all for making a primer specifically for
> > journalists, even if it just means adding a couple of
> > journalist-specific things such as people to ask if the journalist
> > needs a good quote under time pressure.
>
> i don't have problems with that. the issue i'm trying to raise is:
> what specifically is in the article that warrants the title to be
> called ``for journalists?'' or did i miss that part?
I believe the point of the article in particular is to *educate*
journalists with enough information about F/OSS and Linux-- in other
words, what exactly do journalists have to know so that they can
report on F/OSS and Linux? Where do they start? What do they consult?
If you know what someone is talking about or even have an idea about
it, it's easier to write about it and to look up more info when
needed. Journalists are usually pressed for time, so having something
like this helps them write their articles more factually.
> if you are going to make something target a particular group, it
> should address that group's needs and sentiments, shouldn't it?
It isn't as much as "Primer for Journalists *USING* Linux" as much as
"Primer for Journalists *ON* Linux", i.e. what the heck is Linux
anyway? In the same manner, one could write up a "Primer on
Crystallography for Journalists" explaining, for example, what
crystallography is and what is its impact and who uses it-- thus
helping the journalist write a more focused piece when it comes time
to cover any news concerning crystallography.
In the same way, this primer's aim is that-- tell journalists what the
hell it is they're going to be covering, and removing any myths and
misconceptions that they may have about the topic, thus helping them
write a more balanced and focused piece on F/OSS when they do cover
such topics.
> > I'm also in favor of making primers for biophysicists and other people
> > who might want to learn about open source. Sure, they can read the
> > general "What is Open Source?" articles scattered all over the
> > Internet, but they'd be more attracted to something written
> > specifically for them.
>
> which is why for a short article like this, it might as well be a
> press release. i'm in favor of writing a primer for biophysicists,
> astronomers, and other scientists. but heck, most of them are probably
> already using linux or some other unix variant, especially those
> involved in computations.
>
> > Think of it this way: there's an O'Reilly book on Perl for
> > bioinformatics! How cool is that? =)
>
> that is to be expected. there's a turbo pascal for chemist, a fortran
> iv for chemists, a numerical methods for chemists. and chemists who
> involved in computation also get in the fortran vs c vs c++ debate..
> it's nothing new for a field to publish books when it is applied to
> other discipline. the reason there's a perl for bioinformatics is
> because they process tons and tons of text data.
Again, it's a different focus: more on educating journalists so that
they can inform the general public better, not (necessarily) so that
they too can use F/OSS and/or Linux.
> > We need something for local flavor. When it comes to press releases,
> > the facts are not as important as the people behind them. A primer for
> > journalists isn't a static, standalone document. It is an invitation
> > to ask more questions. They need to be able to skim through things and
> > get a clear idea of the issues (particularly common misconceptions
> > like free software = open source = Linux!). Journalists need to feel
>
> a primer does not have to make a political statement. add more meat to
> the article, address issues journalists have about linux, foss, plug,
> etc, show journalist how they can benefit from linux, what they can
> get out of it, how they can use it, tell them ``support'' is available
> in the form of a community, etc, etc, then call it a primer. sure we
> need local flavor. but why would a journalist want to know whether SM
> is using linux or not? unless probably they are writing something
> about OS use in the business environment. wouldn't businesses be more
> interested in knowing that? right, a journalist might write an article
> about which business uses what os to probably promote linux and open
> source, but he can't keep on writing the same article over and over.
See above. They don't *HAVE* to use F/OSS. The primer's aim isn't that.
The politics is, in fact, integral to educating them. If they don't
know the forces behind and for Linux, how can they write about it? (In
the same light, if a journalist where to cover the US Elections
without knowing about the Democratic or Republican parties, how would
they be able to write about it? How will they know where to focus?
What topics are important for either party? Etc., ad nauseum)
> and isn't a press release also an invitaion to ask more questions?
> that's what i would do if i were a journalist.
A press release is a start-- it gives a journalist ammo to write his/her piece.
> > appreciate having resources chosen for them by an expert who is
> > willing to answer questions and guide them to more resources.
>
> providing a list of contact person is probably one thing that would be
> very helpful to anyone reading the article.
Hence the mention of PLUG.
>
> > Heck, I might know a bit about Linux but I _still_ find the wealth of
> > information on the Internet bewildering. =)
>
> but the better journalist know the good sources from bad ones. and
> that's what journalists thrive on: information. but so does everybody.
But journalists have a strict deadline, unlike the rest of us. For
example, say they have to cover the LinuxWorld events here in the
Philippines. They can't dither and they most likely will *not* have
time to do the necessary research-- most especially considering the
depth that F/OSS covers (legal, in terms of licensing etc.;
technological; sociological; etc.). So providing a primer for them
helps them focus more on their job: writing about the event or topic
at hand. Where do they turn to? Do they even have *time* to find out
who the local F/OSS users are?
Essentially, what the primer is is a *lead*. Happy are the journalists
who have leads to their story. :)
> i know very little about linux, but i don't find information on the
> internet bewildering. i find it amazing that a lot of people read a
> lot of other crap that other people write. and i'm educated enough to
> know the useful from the useless. so, really, for a particular
> subject, you might find a whole ton of information, but only a handful
> of them are usually useful.
Exactly. :)
--
JM Ibanez --
Book: If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a
very special level of Hell, a level they reserve for child
molesters and people who talk at the theater.
(Firefly, "Our Mrs. Reynolds")
-----
http://www.livejournal.com/~jmibanez/
http://www.mycgiserver.com/~butiki/
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