the(new)mediaslut

A Thai tech journalist provided a reason why he rather keep a goldfish than a dog.

From Don Sambandaraksa, The Bangkok Post:

Chances of a goldfish drowning are pretty much zero. 

Both the Asian Sentinel and Think Happiness are right.

Speaking of stories appearing because of freebies, PR sources have told themediaslut that there are some media personalities out there who will only attend a press conference because of freebies.

No, the first question is about what the press conference is about. themediaslut has been told that the first question being asked is "what’s the freebie"?

Pens as freebies don’t make the cut these days. Neither do paperweights. 128MB thumbdrives, nay… 1G thumbdrives, maybe.

What makes the cut? Mobile phones are high on the list.  

Especially when it comes to attending the launch of the new series of mobile phones.

Invites which say "1st prize - Mobile phone. Winners will be announced after the press conference" usually get a high RSVP rate.

There are some editors out there who even dare to put in their monthly column that it is they are four times lucky to win the phone.

However, there are journalists who return the door gift or even the lucky draw prize to the vendors.

themediaslut know for a fact that publications like CNBC, Bloomberg and Reuters have this strict policy in place where the journalist have to return the door gift or not take part in the luck draw at all.

These companies will even pay for the junket.  

Speaking of freebies, another freebie that journalists get are paid junkets to an overseas destination.

When a journalist attend a press junket, one would expect the journalist to write a story about the junket right? Yes, they do write about the junket but this is where it gets a bit twisted.

themediaslut heard of a story where a journalist was given a overseas junket to an exotic destination.

When the journalist return, all he did was do a press release re-write and a stock photo of a speaker.

One would immediately think that the PR will got pissed because all they got for sending the journo to a junket was a press release re-write instead.

However, this was not the case.

In fact, the PR was so happy that it was a press release re-write as all the messaging from the company stays intact within the story.

Ironically, a fellow Thai journalist friend was send to a junket to the US and wrote a very questioning, possibly damming, story about a certain vendor embracing an open source OS as its new business strategy.

Unfortunately, the PR was disappointed that this thai journalist wrote such a story and even reply to him, "I wonder if my bosses will like it".

As themediaslut ends this post, here is a clip of five Singapore-based journalists going wild (over Balut - a Philippine delicacy) during a junket to Manila. Enjoy.

In his five-minutes interview with ITJ Asia’s Milton Sau, Grahame Lynch, publisher of Commsday Asia, raised a very interesting tip that journalists, budding or experienced, should always remember.

From ITJourno Asia :

Milton: What’s the best piece of advice a journalist mentor has ever given you?

Grahame: If you can write 1000 words in 100 words, do it. And, remember you are a salesman of news – if you bore the reader he or she won’t keep on reading.

The PR drinks is going ahead as scheduled today.

Place: The Boulevard, Red Dot Building, Singapore
Time: 7pm
Dress code: Your PR best!

themediaslut justed wanted to tell the readers that this drinks are not sponsored by anybody as both themediaslut and one of its organiser, Mike Liew of Upstream Asia, do not want to impose any obligations on those attending the drinks. Especially if you are working in rival PR companies.

But who says rival can’t be friends?

This is not the first time we are having such drinks and we intend to keep the "no obligation" rule to make the drinks more of a networking social event.  

So if you are in Singapore and working in the field of public relations, drop by The Boulevard for a drink and networking session with your peers in the same industry.

See you there soon and don’t be surprised to find your photos here on Monday.

ITJourno Asia recently came under fire from a journalist who highlighted the ITJourno Asia team did not respect his wishes to keep mum about his pending departure from his current publisher.

However, by addressing the journalist, both via phone calls, emails and entering a comment on this journalist’s blog, they have turned a negative post into a positive one.

From eBolasaurus Rex (after ITJ addressed the journalist) :

Oh, and to my dear Milton Sau of ITJ, thanks for proving to me that you have no integrity whatsoever.

I understand that you want to attract readers, but sensationalizing the issue just isn’t the way to do things, especially since I specifically pleaded with you to NOT say anything about the matter, at least not yet.

Is holding off on the hoo-haa for another two months or so, so hard to do? One thing to take back from this though, is that ITJ will now take its place on my personal shit-list.

(ITJourno Asia’s response can be found in the entry under comments.)

ITJourno writes about the movement within the IT media industry in the region and thus it is their job to scoop the movement before it becomes an official press releases.

The editorial team could have waited two months and respected the journo’s decision not to write about it, but in two months time, is that worthy of being classified as news?

Similarly, if the blogger, presumably from a IT mag, was given a consumer product to review that was already launched two months ago, would that be news? 

Since eBloasaurus blogger have already highlighted in an earlier post that he/she is leaving, the blogger should have taken the opportunity to give it a positive spin, for both the blogger and the blogger’s publisher.

The blogger could have commented like "Yes, I am leaving but I enjoyed my time at this company. I can’t bear to leave the company but I would like to gain more experience. Who knows what the future lies, I could one day work again for this company and the experience I gained would benefit the company most."

Currently, the blogger’s "cloak and dagger" approach might have created a perception within the industry all is not well between this blogger and his/her existing publisher.

Perception, as they say, is reality.