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Gerstmann-gate 2: CBS Interactive Censors CNET Award for Dish Hopper, resignations

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Looks like it's blowing up:
infinityBCRT said:
The Verge just posted a new story. Apparently not only was the Hopper nominated, but it had won the award.

Apparently, executives at CBS learned that the Hopper would win "Best of Show" prior to the announcement. Before the winner was unveiled, CBS Interactive News senior-vice president and General Manager Mark Larkin informed CNET's staff that the Hopper could not take the top award. The Hopper would have to be removed from consideration, and the editorial team had to re-vote and pick a new winner from the remaining choices. Sources say that Larkin was distraught while delivering the news — at one point in tears — as he told the team that he had fought CBS executives who had made the decision.

Apparently the move to strike the Hopper from the awards was passed down directly to Larkin from the office of CBS CEO, Leslie Moonves. Moonves has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the Hopper, telling investors at one point, "Hopper cannot exist... if Hopper exists, we will not be in business with (Dish)."
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http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/14/3...-cnet-editors-to-recast-vote-after-hopper-win
Click to expand...

Bgamer90 said:
Looks like CNET will lose some of their reporters...
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----

Short version:

CNet nominated the new Dish Hopper for its Best of CES awards.
Management at CBSi made CNet pull the nomination.

CBS and Dish are competitors, but editorial is supposed to be independent.

The GameSpot / Eidos thing was thought to be a one off.
Now here's a second time that a company in the CBSi family is having editorial mandated by management.

Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.

While a company may not want to give positive press to a competitor's product, editorial is supposed to be above all that. And stuff like this casts a pall on every CBSi property.

http://go.bloomberg.com/tech-blog/2013-01-10-cbs-to-dish-no-ces-award-for-you/

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20...-it-cbs-to-block-cnet-giving-dish-award.shtml

http://allthingsd.com/20130110/cnet-wanders-into-the-cbs-dish-crossfire-at-ces/
 
Yeah, that's pretty stupid to do that.

Regardless of CBS's ownership and stake in the matter, that shouldn't prevent an honest editorial from being published about the particular piece of kit in question.

Lord_Nergal said:
1) CES, lol
2) CNet, lol
3) Giantbomb 5eva
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I don't even know how this particular comment contributes to the thread but I think it's quite a story for me personally.
 
Skipping commercials is a copyright violation? Whoever came up with that can fuck off and die any day now.
 
Isn't it pretty common for editorial to reflect both the opinion of the editorial board and the owner of the media in question?

You see this often with newspapers.

I'm not really surprised this happened to be honest. It's disappointing but I doubt the owners of CBS would like one of their media to hype the product of a competitor.
 
I think you make a counter editorial as I do have sympathy for the broadcast networks that are financed completely with commercials (which they abuse a lot). Hulu is really chump change compared to what companies pay to get in front of you during primetime. Cable channels at least get subscription fees. Totally censoring this undermines not just the journalistic independence of your reporting, but the company's entire ethical reputation.
 
Ain't that some shit. Like somebody mentioned, this only makes it bigger by reacting as such.

And in a rare occurrence, the first post is actually utter shit instead of something witty and/or relevant. I'm sad.
 
I didn't know Giant Bomb was owned by CBS? Wasn't that site created specifically as a reaction to corporate meddling and censorship?
 
huh.

well, i guess it makes sense if they're suing them, and also the Dish Hopper thing is actually quite an affront to the TV business model, so i can see why CBS wouldnt want something like that to gain any positive press, especially from within.
 
Isn't there some kind of lawsuit currently against the Hopper system by the broadcast channels? It would make sense to tell a branch within your company that they cannot publicly endorse a product because the company is trying to sue such a product.

I'm not saying that is the reason, but MAYBE it is a legal issue more than an editorial one.

edit: beaten.

la_briola said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect
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Publicity might not matter if this editorial can harm their legal case. I'm not a lawyer, just seems like a cover your bases type thing.
 
Orca said:
Skipping commercials is a copyright violation? Whoever came up with that can fuck off and die any day now.
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You're looking at it the wrong way, I'm sure they aren't worried about the ad revenue loss. Obviously this interpretation of copyright was intended to stop people from visiting the kitchen for a snack during commercials, CBS legal department are concerned about their viewer's health.
 
The Verge just posted a new story. Apparently not only was the Hopper nominated, but it had won the award.

Apparently, executives at CBS learned that the Hopper would win "Best of Show" prior to the announcement. Before the winner was unveiled, CBS Interactive News senior-vice president and General Manager Mark Larkin informed CNET's staff that the Hopper could not take the top award. The Hopper would have to be removed from consideration, and the editorial team had to re-vote and pick a new winner from the remaining choices. Sources say that Larkin was distraught while delivering the news — at one point in tears — as he told the team that he had fought CBS executives who had made the decision.

Apparently the move to strike the Hopper from the awards was passed down directly to Larkin from the office of CBS CEO, Leslie Moonves. Moonves has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the Hopper, telling investors at one point, "Hopper cannot exist... if Hopper exists, we will not be in business with (Dish)."
Click to expand...

http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/14/3...-cnet-editors-to-recast-vote-after-hopper-win
 
Wow thats even more fucked up than originally reported.

And theres just something totally ironic about Gerstmann being back under CBS.
 
Isn't CNET funded entirely by advertising? Wonder how they'd feel if there was a 30 Rock episode devoted to making people download adblock.


Don't get me wrong, they should have editorial freedom, but if they as editors sincerely believe we shouldn't have advertising on media then it kinda makes me feel like they leave their integrity at the door every morning when they leave for work anyway.
 
So the guy who filed "Danny DeVito talks to us at CES" has quit because he doesn't think CBS respect his integrity.
 
Dany M said:
Whats wrong with DeVito?
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Nothing but sites like CNET file interviews like that during CES to get more clicks to generate more ad money. This year more than most that has been an issue because CES has been a snore fest. Then the same editors turn around and say the best product coming out of the show is the one that lets you skip TV advertising. Seems like a double standard to me.
 
fortastral said:
Maybe this is why Brad is leaving. He's the only one with any integrity left...
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Wow, he really did leave :(

ibrsjzPUCjVSGN.gif
 
Ghost said:
Isn't CNET funded entirely by advertising? Wonder how they'd feel if there was a 30 Rock episode devoted to making people download adblock.
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They wouldn't care. Or at least they shouldn't. They're journalists. Their first job is to report on the latest trends and news pieces - not to be the ones concerned with advertising and costs. There's a reason these two positions are separated. One shouldn't interfere with the other. Not saying it doesn't happen elsewhere, but it practically sounds like you're condoning journalists reporting based off what's best for them and not what's most helpful for their readers.


Don't get me wrong, they should have editorial freedom, but if they as editors sincerely believe we shouldn't have advertising on media then it kinda makes me feel like they leave their integrity at the door every morning when they leave for work anyway.
Click to expand...

I don't understand this. They never said they shouldn't have advertising. Them voting the Hopper as best of show isn't them making some statement against advertising as a whole, but them commenting on the usefulness or impact of the hardware. They're a hardware review site - this is what they do. I don't even know what you mean by them "leaving their integrity at the door" especially now that some people are leaving over this censoring. It seems like you have something against CNet in this conflict and I'm not even sure why.

Ghost said:
So the guy who filed "Danny DeVito talks to us at CES" has quit because he doesn't think CBS respect his integrity.
Click to expand...

Yeah, really not understanding the flippant response. Dude's a part of a company that, until now, believed would have journalistic license to report in spite of parent pressure. Even if some of the articles he wrote weren't earth-shattering there's something to be said about standing up for a principle.
 
starchild excalibur said:
I don't understand this. They never said they shouldn't have advertising. Them voting the Hopper as best of show isn't them making some statement against advertising as a whole, but them commenting on the usefulness or impact of the hardware. They're a hardware review site - this is what they do. I don't even know what you mean by them "leaving their integrity at the door" especially now that some people are leaving over this censoring. It seems like you have something against CNet in this conflict and I'm not even sure why.
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Exactly. I don't understand this. By voting for the hopper they weren't pissing on the very idea of advertising as a whole. I truly marvel at that sort of ridiculous leap of logic. They were doing their jobs, reporting on the tech there at the show.
 
Ghost said:
Isn't CNET funded entirely by advertising? Wonder how they'd feel if there was a 30 Rock episode devoted to making people download adblock.


Don't get me wrong, they should have editorial freedom, but if they as editors sincerely believe we shouldn't have advertising on media then it kinda makes me feel like they leave their integrity at the door every morning when they leave for work anyway.
Click to expand...

CBS is not purely funded by advertiser anymore, Dish and the cable companies have to pay fee to carry the channel even if the channel is free over the air.
 
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