Here's a post that brings out the worst in HN. Start from the top and see how far you get before you find anything positive. Here's what I hope to see i) What people think this means for YHOO. ii) What does this mean for traditional media and people attracted to web properties. iii) What might this service that he's launching look like? iv) Who else might copy/follow suit on this play?
Here's what you get I) Good riddance I hate him (real valuable) ii) Some sort of conspiracy theory about ethics and issues. iii) Character attack/insinuation with some cheesy comment about his hiring manager and Yahoo based content and iv) never forget to work congress and government in there because a guy who does quirky videos on the iPad is only one step away from journalism and government coziness.
I'm sorry... I didn't post a conspiracy theory, but linked a series of widely-covered reports on Pogue's ethics issues—which are in fact a big deal, since he's a journalist.
He worked at the Times for more than a decade, during an era when journalists with much smaller names than his own (think Jayson Blair) damaged the rep of the paper. The public editor called him out for it, even:
Also, he works in a space where his industry colleagues constantly face conflict of interest issues. It's not a "conspiracy theory" if it's common knowledge.
If you think that's "the worst in HN," then this comment is no better.
Articles are submitted to HN to be critiqued and discussed. In this instance the story is about a person who (apparently) is widely disliked in the tech community. It's no surprise that the comments are negative.
Note it's not the fact that the article is being critiqued and discussed that is objectionable. It's the small mindedness of the the discussions and critiques that has me disappointed.
No one is asking to you to come and read the comments. The small minded conversations which you are talking about are obviously getting upvoted both other Hacker News participants - which leads me to believe there is some credence to it. Why don't you take a stab at writing something positive and see how the community reacts rather than spreading the negativity..
I think he made a valid contribution. He is pushing that we keep comments civil and useful. The comments he mentioned do neither and drag down the discussion and promote discord in the community.
I'm not sure why his comment warrants such a hostile reaction when it is in the interest of the community that people engage in self-moderation and policing to keep it healthy.
Additionally, even if the attacks on Pogue's personality granted it credence, I personally feel it doesn't belong here and isn't useful for any of us to spend our time as if we're judges in a tech scene popularity contest.
The more interesting discussion is about how this could be relevant to Yahoo and their attempt to change direction. Or if this type of move is a harmful trend for the Times, such as how they lost Nate Silver.
This may be the best summation of OP Syndrome I've ever encountered. Awesomely stated. I may need to quote this, but I'll give you credit when I do.
Err, sorry. What I meant to say is that, while I agree with part A of your post, part B is total garbage. In conclusion, you are 100% wrong, and in fact, you are everything that's wrong with the internet.
Conversely couldn't it be said that 'the worst in HN' might be the meta discussion about how everything is negative?
It's one thing to bash someone who posts up a new service, a new idea, or a new project. It's entirely different when (in my case) you question a part of the machine that makes good on proving that there might be a conflict of interest when it comes to journalism and how the subjects they cover are treated.
Here's what you get I) Good riddance I hate him (real valuable) ii) Some sort of conspiracy theory about ethics and issues. iii) Character attack/insinuation with some cheesy comment about his hiring manager and Yahoo based content and iv) never forget to work congress and government in there because a guy who does quirky videos on the iPad is only one step away from journalism and government coziness.