A plea for accuracy in the local IT media

Some time ago, I ran across an article by Chin Wong (dated May 16) in the Manila-Standard-Today. It leads by saying:

The country’s biggest association of online businesses (eg - PICS) will support the appointment of a new administrator of the PH Domain.

I’ve met Chin Wong before, and I’ve tried to talk to him about his attempts to sensationalize news about DotPH, and it’s unfortunate that he keeps doing this. A more accurate story might have been:

“PICS - an organization w/ 40 individual members and 30 corporate members will meet later this week on May 18, to discuss a draft paper written by one of its members regarding the appointment of a new administrator of the PH Domain”.

I understand the IT beat is tough - and journalists, like all of us, have their bills to pay. But to sensationalize news in this way is completely irresponsible. It gives the public the impression that there’s a huge clamor to replace the administrator of the PH Domain. It could make our suppliers wonder about extending credit to us. It could make our clients think twice before dealing with us. It could make our employees targets of recruitment agencies.

An overreaction on my part, you might say - but this is exactly what we happened four years ago, when all sorts of inaccurate stories were popping up in the local press.

I have no quarrel with PICS; in fact some of its members are good friends of mine. But for Chin Wong to characterize PICS as “the biggest association of online businesses” is - misleading. If we go by their Yahoogroups membership, a quick check will reveal that PICS has 229 members. To give you an idea of how this compares, here is the online membership of some other business groups:

Centralized Decentralized Business Network - 1,684
Digital Filipino- 2,358
Makati Business Club - 10,998

Four year ago, I called Chin to complain about a story he had written for ComputerWorld, which went something like “ISPs support petition to replace PH Domain Administrator” or something like that. Chin had attended a PISO meeting, where ISPs had been asked to sign a petition, and at the end of that meeting, only two ISPs had signed up. I reminded Chin that we (at DotPH) had a separate petition - already signed by 20+ ISPs supporting DotPH. And I can’t forget Chin’s reply. (paraphrasing)

“But I was accurate, right? Two ISPs is plural - hence the headline ‘ISPs support petition to replace PH Domain Administrator’”!

I was shocked. Welcome to the world of the sensationalist press, where the Truth only gets in the way of a good story.