Comments on: Why the scarcity of local IT news?

By: Miguel

Miguel — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:44:51 +0000

Jayvee,
re: Hackenslash: it’s obvious, it’s easy to write stories when you love the topic!

By: Miguel

Miguel — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:43:09 +0000

Looks like the old, old, old (yeah I was still young when it started!) .PH issue issue is alive again. With the help of Abe's post! Chin Wong's story.

By: Karla

Karla — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 02:54:40 +0000

I was in PR (with Joan Orendain) for sometime and I don’t see anything wrong with a journalist calling me up and asking for updates about a product or a company that’s among my portfolio. In fact, a lot of them do that (I won’t name that) because you do have to follow up a story. There could be more to a launch than just a new product. My respect for a journalist who calls me up does not diminish at all. That’s part of network building, and that’s how you get first dibs on stories that haven’t been written about yet. Sources–that’s how you call them.
Joan, who used to be a journalist herself, once said that there should be mutualism between PR and the media. In the same way that some journalists need PR firms for news, the latter also need them to break their stories.
There are so many stories out there to be written about! I think it’s just a matter of finding them.

By: Gail

Gail — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 09:52:17 +0000

I’m not so sure about tech journalists being more than willing to publish stories coming from companies… Maybe I’m mistaken, but won’t that be a press release and not an article? A new product may be newsworthy to the company who made it, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that dailies will think the same. If they don’t see anything newsworthy or anything special about a new product, why report it when they can actually use the space for something they think is more newsworthy?

IMHO, I think it should be the other way around. I understand “startups” as companies “new” in the industry, so it’s really up to them to improve their marketing strategies and actually get noticed by the journalists.

I don’t know… I’m not a journalist or anything, but isn’t it a bit tacky for journalists to be the ones approaching companies/startups just to get news?

Ah, well. Maybe it’s just me.

By: jayvee f.

jayvee f. — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 04:27:30 +0000

actually, there is a lot of IT news around the country. i feel however that in terms of slice of the pie, not a lot of news journalists are allocated to the tech sector. tech is usually given to the magazines, IMO.

secondly, i feel that there are a lot of newsworthy items thats dying to be reported but journos do not know where to get this from. so it also works on the reverse side, where tech journos need to be educated on where they can also source information.

to sum my opinion:

1. although cyberpress exists (i am not a member), there seems to be more focus on the other sectors

2. journos need to be more well connected with tech startups. tech startups should know that tech journos are more than willing to publish their story.

i feel that the whole “company secrecy” thing may be pushed a bit far. if so, then why do niche coverages such as hackenslash (joey alarilla’s gaming industry report / advocacy) have a lot of news?

By: BrianB

BrianB — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 14:19:11 +0000

You ruin their business because of a bad report they’ll kill you.

By: First iPhone Sightings in the Manila! | YugaTech | Philippine Technology News & Reviews

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:23:04 +0000

[...] earlier wrote about the scarcity of IT news in the Philippines. Now, here’s a really good example: First iPhone sightings in [...]

By: yuga

yuga — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:03:45 +0000

So, that’s the real reason why! The US bloggers and tipsters aren’t afraid to cull out the super secrets and the NDAs.

By: Jun

Jun — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 04:59:44 +0000

Parang "If I tell you I have to kill you. =) " Kidding aside, maybe we can start with not-so-big IT news and personalities like thisand international news that affect us like the new .asia domains.

By: JC John SESE Cuneta

JC John SESE Cuneta — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:34:56 +0000

Haha, same, and I think I know that “above top secret” (quoting Transformers Live-Action Movie 1) scoop :p

And just like jayvee, I will ask you to sign an NDA. hehehe….

By: jayvee f.

jayvee f. — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:16:44 +0000

of course i have a lot! but i’d have to ask you to sign a non disclosure ….