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[baphomet]

If only anyone were suggesting a sinister, intentional cover-up as you're suggesting. faceless007 has been posting an example of what a professional would have done:

That's a fucking awful summary of this story. I would fully support firing a spineless asshole that summarizes this story with something like that.

 

[aeolist]

I think people are saying that telling the authorities was ok and such but busting it wide open in public wasn't. In this case due to it involving scamming charity I don't really agree.

nope you have totally missed the point

 

[Mudkips]

follow the timeline, this came weeks after the igg campaign was cancelled and refunded for fraud

So what? The vast majority of news content on any given day consists of updates to stories previously reported on.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

No, really. They're not. He didn't report facts. He went and made a shitstorm out of it on twitter after being told not to by his bosses.

It's his own twitter account, not a company created one. He can say whatever the hell he wants, the only reason he has been suspended is because she was trans***************************************************************************************************

 

[DRG]

I think it was a really terrible move for the guy to get blackmailed with a suicide threat if he told anyone what was happening. That's pretty despicable. I know she must be suffering pretty bad from mental illness but that is manipulation in the worst way and entirely unacceptable. That and the live suicide stream on a gaming website is where is where she loses most of the goodwill. It's hard to defend her after that stuff. I hope she gets the help she needs.

 

[Minions]

Because you say it does? This whole thing about a "cover-up" is based on no factual information at all. The implications you gather and your feelings don't count as evidence.

Because telling someone not to post the truth about someone commuting a crime (two if you count the blackmail) is covering shit up. If you are paid to run stories, you run stories. There is no reason to go "oh don't run that because I'm the boss". The only thing the boss should do is keep them ethical and legal. He should not have shot down him running the story before she attempted suicide.

 

[rayofash]

This is what happens when you deal with the delusional. Playing into their illness only makes things worse. Would you tell a paranoid schizophrenic there really is somebody out to get them? Would you tell a schizoid they really are Napoleon?

I commend the person for outing a liar and a con-artist, a mentally ill person who seeks to make the world play into his delusion. If only everybody else could be so brace.

 

[Marcel]

That's a fucking awful summary of this story. I would fully support firing a spineless asshole that summarizes this story with something like that.

It's a summary that protects his job and the privacy of a disturbed person who is also a suicide risk. I'm sorry you're only sated by the grim details.

 

[Fonz72]

This is a terrible situation for all involved. I really think that if you are going to be put yourself in the public eye and ask for money, then you should expect people to research at least a little bit into what you are using it for. It sounds like the truth was revealed pretty easily. But, once the charity drive was canceled there was really no reason to make a story out of it. It was done at that point.

The real issue here is:Honesty when asking for donations and as a Journalist being able to decide what is a relevent story and what is not. ie, the IGG project was canceled. No reason to dig any further. Someone was dishonost and it was stopped. Harm to the organization was avoided. Done.

I don't think he should be fired.

 

[QisTopTier]

nope you have totally missed the point

Oh so you are saying he shouldn't have told anyone at all? That's a bit of a shitty thing to speak for, it could of probably prevented the attempted suicide too if she got professional help.

 

[kodt]

This is a terrible situation for all involved. I really think that if you are going to be put yourself in the public eye and ask for money, then you should expect people to research at least a little bit into what you are using it for. It sounds like the truth was revealed pretty easily. But, once the charity drive was canceled there was really no reason to make a story out of it. It was done at that point.

The real issue here is:Honesty when asking for donations and as a Journalist being able to decide what is a relevent story and what is not. ie, the IGG project was canceled. No reason to dig any further. Someone was dishonost and it was stopped. Harm to the organization was avoided. Done.

Yeah, but then she tried to commit suicide live streamed online.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

This is what happens when you deal with the delusional. Playing into their illness only makes things worse. Would you tell a paranoid schizophrenic there really is somebody out to get them? Would you tell a schizoid they really are Napoleon?

A commend the person for outing a liar and a con-artist, a mentally ill person who seeks to make the world play into his delusion. If only everybody else could be so brace.

You should be a proffessional...

Ugh...

 

[Minions]

This is a terrible situation for all involved. I really think that if you are going to be put yourself in the public eye and ask for money, then you should expect people to research at least a little bit into what you are using it for. It sounds like the truth was revealed pretty easily. But, once the charity drive was canceled there was really no reason to make a story out of it. It was done at that point.

The real issue here is:Honesty when asking for donations and as a Journalist being able to decide what is a relevent story and what is not. ie, the IGG project was canceled. No reason to dig any further. Someone was dishonost and it was stopped. Harm to the organization was avoided. Done.

A crime is a crime. Just because someone is not successful does not mean a crime was not committed. (two if you count blackmail). If anyone that donated decided they wanted to press charges, or the Journalist in question for blackmail she could be taken to court over this easily.

 

[evil_ash_xero]

I think people are saying that telling the authorities was ok and such but busting it wide open in public wasn't. In this case due to it involving scamming charity I don't really agree.

Hmm...well, maybe he thought it was "lesser" to just say to people it wasn't legit, rather than involve the police?

He didn't actually say she was transgender, as far as I understand.

If he had of involved the police, it would have probably come out that way also.

 

[MYeager]

regardless of the morality of what he did, he did it after his boss explicitly ordered him not to and he indicated that he wouldn't

so no matter what his job is forfeit if destructoid chooses

I wasn't aware Destructoid had a social media policy about what their writers are allowed or not allowed to say in their free time on their personal twitter accounts. If they do then and he agreed to it, then that's the consequence of his action. If they don't, then his outing of an online pseudonym (and not the person's real name), shouldn't be a fireable offense.

 

[Minions]

I think people are saying that telling the authorities was ok and such but busting it wide open in public wasn't. In this case due to it involving scamming charity I don't really agree.

Could you imagine how much worse it would be to be sitting in court and have that outed then run across news agencies on TV? I guess that could still happen. There are no winners in this situation.

 

[Kinyou]

It's a summary that protects his job and the privacy of a disturbed person who is also a suicide risk. I'm sorry you're only sated by the grim details.

It protects everyone but Indiegogo

 

[Zabant]

I don't think they were specifically pressured, but want to avoid looking bad given the situation

Well they have certainly fucked up on that front, my opinion of them has dropped significantly from this.

 

[Clear]

I really think this thread should probably be in off topic, as it seems to me that although the individuals concerned may be occupationally attached to aspects of the games business, what this whole controversy is about has absolutely nothing to do with games.

The "offences" are specifically what constitutes "life saving" surgery, and the morality of outing a TG person on Twitter.

This has nothing to do with games or the games industry.

 

[faceless007]

For the record: Sagal is a not a criminal because she has not been convicted of any crime. It's not even clear if she committed a crime since money never changed hands (it would depend on exactly how the relevant statute in her state defines attempted fraud). Someone who doesn't understand that distinction probably shouldn't be talking about how to do journalism.

 

[baphomet]

It's a summary that protects his job and the privacy of a disturbed person who is also a suicide risk. I'm sorry you're only sated by the grim details.

I'd prefer the full story.

 

[SMT]

So he revealed her identity, thus saving her life, and he got fired for that? Hmm.

 

[QisTopTier]

Could you imagine how much worse it would be to be sitting in court and have that outed then run across news agencies on TV? I guess that could still happen. There are no winners in this situation.

That's a whole different can of worms that could possibly have never happened *the becoming a big news story thing*

 

[tfur]

Because telling someone not to post the truth about someone commuting a crime (two if you count the blackmail) is covering shit up. If you are paid to run stories, you run stories. There is no reason to go "oh don't run that because I'm the boss". The only thing the boss should do is keep them ethical and legal. He should not have shot down him running the story before she attempted suicide.

It really is this simple.

Rationalizing withholding the truth is quite pathetic. Not surprising, as these folks are not really journalists.

 

[TheBaronOfNA]

For the record: Sagal is a not a criminal because she has not been convicted of any crime. It's not even clear if she committed a crime since money never changed hands (it would depend on exactly how the relevant statute in her state defines attempted fraud). Someone who doesn't understand that distinction probably shouldn't be talking about how to do journalism.

Fair, but still pretty morally questionable and deserves to be called her for it.

 

[kodt]

For the record: Sagal is a not a criminal because she has not been convicted of any crime. It's not even clear if she committed a crime since money never changed hands (it would depend on exactly how the relevant statute in her state defines attempted fraud). Someone who doesn't understand that distinction probably shouldn't be talking about how to do journalism.

A person who murders and gets cleared of all charges is also not a criminal.

 

[Fonz72]

This is what happens when you deal with the delusional. Playing into their illness only makes things worse. Would you tell a paranoid schizophrenic there really is somebody out to get them? Would you tell a schizoid they really are Napoleon?

I commend the person for outing a liar and a con-artist, a mentally ill person who seeks to make the world play into his delusion. If only everybody else could be so brace.

Mentally ill people are just that, ill. This was not some scheming evil super villian. People need help, not persecution. Did she do something wrong? Yes. Does she need therapy and help for the condition that caused her to act rashly? Absolutly! Sometimes you have to look at the cause of the crime. No one but the person committing it was harmed. Until someone else acted rashly.

 

[Jburton]

For the record: Sagal is a not a criminal because she has not been convicted of any crime. It's not even clear if she committed a crime since money never changed hands (it would depend on exactly how the relevant statute in her state defines attempted fraud). Someone who doesn't understand that distinction probably shouldn't be talking about how to do journalism.

She attempted to defraud money under false pretences ....... that is a crime.

 

[Emerson]

This is what happens when you deal with the delusional. Playing into their illness only makes things worse. Would you tell a paranoid schizophrenic there really is somebody out to get them? Would you tell a schizoid they really are Napoleon?

I commend the person for outing a liar and a con-artist, a mentally ill person who seeks to make the world play into his delusion. If only everybody else could be so brace.

Boy you are seriously flirting with some danger with this post.

Let's be upfront with our opinions, yeah?

Is it actually your position that transgenderism is a delusion comparable to schizophrenia?

 

[faceless007]

A person who murders and gets cleared of all charges is also not a criminal.

Correct. And a journalist who reported that the person was a criminal would be guilty of libel.

 

[Xenon]

So he revealed her identity, thus saving her life, and he got fired for that? Hmm.

No good deed...

 

[Ivan A Nguyen]

Wow. I was fooled. I seriously thought that person had Iron Man's disease. I'm glad they'll live.

 

[Marcel]

It really is this simple.

No, it isn't. Which is why you aren't a journalist, or anyone playing this armchair journalism game aren't either.

 

[antonz]

Correct. And a journalist who reported that the person was a criminal would be guilty of libel.

I guess its a good thing I am a Game Designer with my own personal opinion and not a reporter then.

 

[Risette]

Good to see Destructoid did the right thing.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

For the record: Sagal is a not a criminal because she has not been convicted of any crime. It's not even clear if she committed a crime since money never changed hands (it would depend on exactly how the relevant statute in her state defines attempted fraud). Someone who doesn't understand that distinction probably shouldn't be talking about how to do journalism.

Besides the fact that that's an incredibly weak argument (And for some reason you think people only dislike her for breaking a law and not the immorality of the situation in general) she most definitely commited blackmail, which is definitely a crime.

 

[antonz]

You know what you are right. He should have just went to the police so she could be cuffed and brought into jail and have a big public trial.

That would have been so much better

 

[SMT]

No good deed...

Goes unpunished, I guess that's how it is.

 

[Lunar15]

Outing kickstarer scams = good

Crossing an ethical/moral line by outing sensitive personal information that, at least in my opinion, is not relevant = not good

He knew better. Particularly when he became deeply involved with the subject. But knowing better or not: punishment was justified. All he had to do was write "for a non-life threatening surgery", and that was it. But he didn't. He knowingly outed her personal information, and that crosses a line that, if it isn't already professionally unethical, it's morally unacceptable.

 

[Marcel]

You know what you are right. He should have just went to the police so she could be cuffed and brought into jail and have a big public trial.

So you know how to do my job and know the future? Amazing. Why work in game design at all?

 

[faceless007]

So he revealed her identity, thus saving her life, and he got fired for that? Hmm.

This I do not understand. Revealing her status to the Internet had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with saving her life or getting her help; it likely made her even more of a suicide danger. If he had truly intended to help her, he could have tried to contact her friends or support groups in the area to get her help. Confirming it to the Internet benefits nobody, certainly not her, and likely makes her feel more violated. How could you possibly think outing her to the public would help her?

 

[rayofash]

Boy you are seriously flirting with some danger with this post.

Let's be upfront with our opinions, yeah?

Is it actually your position that transgenderism is a delusion comparable to schizophrenia?

It is a delusion. The cause is even known, it's a birth defect, the fetus forms incorrectly causing them to develop as the opposite sex mentally. The 'treatment' often doesn't work, usually later in life they regret the change and either way they still fall into depression. Most of them don't even make a full change, opting to form trans communities and live as a trans person rather than a person of the opposite sex.

Mentally ill people are just that, ill. This was not some scheming evil super villian. People need help, not persecution. Did she do something wrong? Yes. Does she need therapy and help for the condition that caused her to act rashly? Absolutly! Sometimes you have to look at the cause of the crime. No one but the person committing it was harmed. Until someone else acted rashly.

It's a him, not a her. You wouldn't you allow him to participate in female sports would you?

 

[Minions]

So you know how to do my job and know the future? Amazing. Why work in game design at all?

There is no reason charges could not be filed should anyone want to pursue them. Not saying it is a good idea considering the mental condition in this case, however that doesn't generally stop people from being prosecuted in most cases.

 

[Bony Manifesto]

You know what you are right. He should have just went to the police so she could be cuffed and brought into jail and have a big public trial.

That would have been so much better

Well, it definitely would have been better for him...

 

[RPG Wizard]

So he revealed her identity, thus saving her life, and he got fired for that? Hmm.

Can we have some clarification here? I was under the impression that the police had been called and got her to a hospital BEFORE he posted the twitter comments publicly.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

So investigative journalism is wrong now? She lied about her fund and he dug to find the reason. Just because the charity was canceled by that time does not make it something that should be ignored.

This is disgusting.

This is what I was thinking as well, didn't Geoff Knighley even recently call (among other journo's) that video game journalism need to be more investigative?

 

[Swifty]

The way people are defending Allistair in the name of journalistic integrity here makes it seem like he published a hard hitting 10000 word article about the situation.

Rather than, you know, tweeting about it on Twitter.

 

[RPG Wizard]

It's a him, not a her.

You're being disrespectful, to say the least. She is not an "it", nor is she a "him". No trans person should have to put up with what you're spouting.

 

[pseudomyxoma]

So you know how to do my job and know the future? Amazing. Why work in game design at all?

What is your job? I'm assuming you are a journalist right? If you said it in this thread I must have missed it

 

[Hrothgar]

This I do not understand. Revealing her status to the Internet had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with saving her life or getting her help; it likely made her even more of a suicide danger. If he had truly intended to help her, he could have tried to contact her friends or support groups in the area to get her help. Confirming it to the Internet benefits nobody, certainly not her, and likely makes her feel more violated. How could you possibly think outing her to the public would help her?

He actually did inform her school and the authorities, to no avail.