On 2/18/06, JM Ibanez <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> 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?
again, i don't have problems with the article being written. my issue
is with the use of the ``for journalists'' in the title. there's
nothing in the article specifically for journalists. unless the
article will be printed out and distributed to journalists in remote
corners of the philippines that have no internet access. journalists
are very good at looking for information. they're trained at that. if
you were a journalist and hear a landslide in leyte and want to write
about it, what do you do? if you were a journalist and heard a certain
thingy called linux making waves in the computer world and want to
write about it, what do you do?
a writer writes for a particular audience. i'm sure dominique of all
people knows that. the article is so specific that it should be
addressed in the article. this is how i was taught to write way back
in high school.
if my arguments are wrong, tell me why and i'd gladly yield. or maybe
i was just educated in a different way. but i'm just nitpicking, ain't
i?
> 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.
point taken. but: the article is too focused. this goes to the old
joke my college professor told us way back. scholarly research is
becoming too focused, too narrowed down that soon we'll have a Ph.D.
in eggplant production.
i think article is underestimating the journalist's capabilities and
knowledge. there's no need to write a Linux primer for journalists if
no specific journalistic things are mentioned. there's no need to
write a crystallography primer for journalists (and no self respecting
crystallographer will do that) because there's a whole bunch of
crystallography books for beginners out there. if you know nothing
about crystallography, read the first chapter of a crystallography for
beginners book and you'll have the answer to your questions.
> 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.
maybe so. but a journalist writing about linux would not (i would
think) write blindly.
> 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)
so the article really is a propaganda for this whole linux vs the
world stuff? (opps. flame bait, don't bite). :)
> 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?
exactly! if you were the editor and you want one of your reporter to
cover LinuxWorld, who would you sent? but suppose you sent a cub who
knows nothing about linux to LinuxWorld, if he's good, he'll make the
necessary contact at LinuxWorld to write a good article.
bottomline, my argument is this: address needs specific to journalist
in the article and call it a linux primer for journalists. otherwise,
just call it a linux primer, or a linux primer for everyone, or like
one of those idiots guide books.
or how about this: what you need to know about linux, foss, etc. and
then a subtitle: and pass by as an expert.
--
House: ``But, as the philosopherJagger once said, 'You can't always
get what you want.'''
Cuddy (later in episode): ``Oh, I looked into that philosopher you
quoted-Jagger. And you're right, you can't always get what you want.
But as it turns out, If you try sometimes, you get what you need.''
- House, pilot episode
_________________________________________________
Philippine Linux Users' Group (PLUG) Mailing List
[email protected] (#PLUG @ irc.free.net.ph)
Read the Guidelines: http://linux.org.ph/lists
Searchable Archives: http://archives.free.net.ph
