"...notably in Blu-ray": An honest HMM mistake or an intentional add-on quote?

[silverado]

I voted as "honest mistake" (probably voted wrong though) in the poll as I feel that there was an intent to add additional clarifying information in the story to mention or explain that Blu-ray was a major contributing factor there to the increased margins for video sales there and that information was somehow known to HMM but the writer of the article basically messed up the quotation and added something he knew to be true (Blu-ray is the only high margin movie video product with increased sales and has been mentioned before by Trans World as a prominent product for them) subconsciously when he wrote a routine story or he essentially just screwed up the punctuation of the additional explanatory information.

In any case, my personal opinion is that it was a simple mistake without a lot of thought placed into it in a routine story of many generated by HMM in the course of a week month or year and when identified as a error it was gladly corrected by the author instantly online and before the story went to final print publication.

The actual placement of the article into two parts with the offending words literally on the extreme bottom corner of the last page of a mid August issue implies it was not a grand conspiracy in any case.

This is an earnings call, not to hard to just transcribe what was said. Adding words to a quote is not honest. Changing the words with punctuation is not honest.

[Kosty]

And as already stated multiple times, there is no proof Kosty talked to anyone at HMM. He refused to post an e-mail, screenshot etc. It's hearsay. If this was court, it would be thrown out. Using that as "proof" if laughable.

Obviously I have some contact with HMM routinely.

In this case, the issue was corrected after I brought it to their attention.

You cannot argue on the on hand I have too much contact with HMM so that I am an advocate with them and then turn around and state that I do not have contact with them on something that I think was initially a serious error that I thought was misleading and seriously wrong.

I certainly am not going to post a screen shot of a private email I have on any industry contact I have without permission under any circumstances ever. That's how I keep contacts and keep sources of information that we all benefit from. Especially when it would probably do nothing to convince you anyway no matter what it said.

[Kosty]

I'm going to have to go with "Who gives a shit?"

Seriously, this is the kind of crap that you guys spend time out of your lives arguing about?

Indeed. I consider the issue seriously blown out of proportion once the quote was corrected.

Well, I'm sure HMM doesn't give a shit. LOL.

The offending word were published on the last page of an August middle of summer issue. They probably have written 100 articles since then and are now working three or four issues past this story.

Its hardly a significant issue for them in any case.

[Kosty]

Most of us don't care. We know HMM lied, and we know exactly why they did it. Burden of proof lays on them to provide they got additional information, not me, not PSound, not Mike, hell not even Kosty. They 'spiced' up the article with information that was not present in the transcript/audio. They know they did it, got caught, and altered it. Any self respecting publication would state sources for additional information, they did not. Why? They made it up.

Where's that quote Lee always posts?

A news magazine is not limited to sources that are company Press Releases or official corporate earnings call transcripts. Additional sources of information and adding clarifying supplemental information into an article is perfectly appropriate if the information is accurate and on topic.

In this case, Trans World has previously stated even in its 3Q 2010 and other earnings call that Blu-ray would be an emphasis, there is plenty of articles written since last summer on how Trans World and its F.Y.E. locations are taking a risk on promoting Blu-ray, Hastings a similar company reported in the same 2Q 2011 how Blu-ray is effecting them and doing better than premium DVD and we also know that Blu-ray is the only new high margin video product that could have effected the movie video sell through sales of Trans World in any case.

Its hardly a stretch to surmise that those issues were known to the writer of the article and a simple verification at the time or confirmed information from prior contact gave him the confidence that the information was accurate and appropriate for inclusion.

The article was written to be useful and informative to the professional readership of a trade magazine that has as a primary audience retailers that sell home video product and a mention like that was apparently deemed appropriate.

In any case, I don't think it was a big deal or a lot of thought was placed in the matter at the time.

[Kosty]

DUDE!! He's not real??
Next time use spoiler alert before you drop a bomb like that

No, they didn't. Did HMM post they had additional sources in the article?

Once again, you are believing an anonymous poster on the internet. I bet if Kosty told you Santa was real you would believe it too.

Santa Claus is not real.

He is a fairy tale to tell to children to keep them happy.

Did I mention the Easter Bunny?

[Kosty]

Most of us don't care. We know HMM lied, and we know exactly why they did it. Burden of proof lays on them to provide they got additional information, not me, not PSound, not Mike, hell not even Kosty. They 'spiced' up the article with information that was not present in the transcript/audio. They know they did it, got caught, and altered it. Any self respecting publication would state sources for additional information, they did not. Why? They made it up.

Where's that quote Lee always posts?

That's bullshit. No publication is under any obligation to post what sources it uses for the information it gathers for a news article.

There is no obligation for them to get permission from a company either for them to write about them as well.

This was a fairly routine news article buried in the course of a routine summer issue that actually in tone was favorable coverage for the company in question.

Its not like it was a major investigate series alleging the company of serious wrong doing or something like that.

Its like PSound and you are trying to keep this alive as if a favorable mention of Blu-ray as being a positive contributing factor as a growing high margin highly profitable product would be somehow considered to be a bad thing.

The mention if anything was actually positive for the company. It seems that it is upsetting some of you guys because it was a positive mention for Blu-ray and I would have a suspicion that you would not be this upset it it was an additional mention for digital offerings or Netflix streaming.

Having me point out nicely and them instantly being corrected as soon as they were informed about it is hardly "being caught". I'm sure they did not consider me "catching them" when I pointed it out as I routinely throughout the years have pointed out small mistakes on things that they have gladly corrected. Its not like this was published in the Colombia Journalism Review or the New York Times as an expose of journalistic practices of major trade publications. It was from a friendly contact from me pointing out the issue and asking for a correction if appropriate.

[Kosty]

This is an earnings call, not to hard to just transcribe what was said. Adding words to a quote is not honest. Changing the words with punctuation is not honest.

I agree the original quote was incorrect and was not appropriate as it came from an official public source and was clearly not accurate. That's why I asked for explanation of the discrepancy and correction.

While the final version was not what I would have done, it met my minimum standards for what I saw as being appropriate. I did not write the article so the final version was not my call. I only brought the issue of behalf of us here to their attention and they made the correction and revision.

[A_Gorilla]

OMFG really? THIS is what has some people's panties in a twist? Wow, I gotta stop coming here. If only it wasn't so funny!

[Kosty]

OMFG really? THIS is what has some people's panties in a twist? Wow, I gotta stop coming here. If only it wasn't so funny!

It seriously needs to be placed in perspective.

I did not realize the inclusion of three words (which includes Blu-ray) on the last page of an August issue of a industry trade magazine could cause such angst.

Look at the very right hand bottom corner of the far right column here of the last page, second paragraph down, third sentence on the second part of the split up article as published. You can hardly see the words anyway and in real life its a 11 x 17 sized tab publication. Hardly prominent placement.

Actually about the most buried non prominent placement that is possible.

Hardly a grand conspiracy.


The complete digital version of the 25 page 11 x 17 sized magazine is at this link. The offending words are on page 24 of 25 the last page of articles at the back of the book inside the final back cover.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ques...C/index.php#/0

[cakefoo]

If this were as big a deal as a few of you are making it out to be, I expect HMM to fire that writer and for TWE to fire back. There should be headlines all over the place about this scandal the way you guys are stirring it up here. "Nobody" reads this forum so you're not going to accomplish anything talking about it here. Get out and do something about it if you're really that torn about it. But if it's just you and a few forum posters who are angry, then that kind of says something. I won't sit here and pretend to know what HMM knows and why they typed what they typed. I don't know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they stepped across a line, as I don't know what they know about TWE's sales. Until I do I can just say that it was a poor judgment call or an honest mistake. But I find it a bit rash to conclude that it was part of some pro-Blu-ray mission and pretend like your opinion is fact.

[Kosty]

Meanwhile back in the real world, another issue of Home Media Magazine will show up in my mail box today just like one has shown up pretty much every week for the last seven years with another 25-50 pages and fifty more articles.

It will join on my shelves the 200 or so other issues published since the format war ended and the hundreds more ones I kept during the HD DVD vs Blu-ray format war.

http://www.nxtbook.com/fx/archives/v...fc6a959c1149b7


There have been over 36 issues published already this year, the issue past this one is already in many subscriber's physical possession, the HMM website has articles from the next issue already up and for review and the writers on staff are probably writing and researching for articles for the issues even beyond that.

The beat goes on and things continue to just move along as they always have done.






Other issues published since the format war ended in 1Q 2008:

Spoiler:

[Kosty]

Since this article in question was posted on the HMM homepage by my count 47 more recent articles have replaced it as the lead on their very active site including 14 more recent articles written by the same reporter.

The entire issue here needs to be placed into its proper perspective and not continued to be rather placed out of proportion to the volume of copy that this publication produces on a routine basis for its readership and industry informational purposes.














http://www.homemediamagazine.com/hom.../industry-news

[GizmoDVD]

Kosty - stop advertising for HMM. Every other post you throw up images of there magazine/website. Your not helping your point by being objective when all do is get them free publicity.

[Kosty]

Kosty - stop advertising for HMM. Every other post you throw up images of there magazine/website. Your not helping your point by being objective when all do is get them free publicity.

Home Media Magazine is a very successful and respected trade magazine with a qualified subscriber base that does not need free publicity from me or anyone else. It does not matter if they get any free publicity here.

They do not sell subscriptions. They send copies for free to qualified trade and industry applicants and publish their information for free for us and others to use on the Internet. They do not need the publicity even if it would matter from us talking about it here.

They have no need to advertise or to get free publicity to sell issues, they give it away to qualified subscribers in the trade and media. Look at the distribution graphic below.

As I have done for years here when I see things blown out of proportion from you or anyone else I try to use some logic to place the significance of things into the proper perspective.

To me the original issue of the bad quote was serious. That's why I brought it up to their attention and why they gladly and quickly corrected the error and the mistake was revised before final publication without hesitation as soon as it was brought to their attention.

But to argue that the corrected version was significant in its significance or even that it was deliberate ignores the reality that it was just a few words in a routine news story in the back of a otherwise routine weekly issue in the middle of summer.

Hardly the magnitude of a plot worthy of premeditated deception or deliberate malfeasance.

To go on and on about how its a grand conspiracy to promote Blu-ray flies in the face of common sense and ignores the reality of the volume of work that this prolific trade magazine and its writers all produce on a routine basis.

[GizmoDVD]

You're not using any logic. What you are doing is claiming they got additional information with no evidence.

PSound has provided evidence and has even offered up where he got it from (the guy who's quote had lies attached to it).

What you are doing is defending your friends, with no proof, while spamming the forum with their magazine screencaps.

This event will likely never be forgotten and will always make HMMs articles 'suspicious' as we now know they are willing to add in additional words to pump up Blu-ray. Defending this practice hurts any credibility you have here.

End of story.