As a journalist, (I even have my degree in Journalism from Temple University), I hate seeing stories like the one today in the Akron Beacon-Journal.
It reminds me of the line my first mentor, the Wily Old Veteran, Sy Roseman, sarcastically told me when I was 16 and learning the craft of media relations from him while working for a series of professional sports teams. He always said “some reporters never let facts get in the way of a good story.” Basically he was saying, the real facts may be different, but if theycause the reporter to have to alter what they’ve written, well, they may never see the light of day.
This story, which started out about telephone pricing plans, ended up talking about VoIP. Rather than seek out experts on the subject (like Jeff Pulver, an analyst at Yankee Group or Probe Research, or even me) the reporter ran with the line “There are still a lot of questions about VoIP services that will be sorted out as it develops. It may be something to look at for a future comparison once the market develops more.”
First the market is here. Why else would AT&T and MCI be going into it, or Verizon or…… As for Next Gen carriers, Vonage, 8×8, etc. all are playing in the space and have been for some time.
Sorry, but the answers are there NOW, not in the future. Readers have a need to know about what’s on the market, not what some business writer Knows Not about.
Andy Abramson