Personally, I may not disagree that much with Margie, but I would say that sending me articles on topics I don't write about and have never written about -- something that PressBlaster makes easy -- *is* an abuse of my publicly available professional email address. (Do I really want press releases about the new 450-hp John Deere 9520 Tractor?) It's easy for journalists' inboxes to get clogged with a deluge of press releases, and I already get over 1,000 email messages a day. My instructions for PR types are here: http://www.mccullagh.org/about/contact.html Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/p-03105.html -Declan --- Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2002 10:09:50 -0800 From: Margie Wylie <margie.wylieat_private> Subject: Re: FC: Note to journalists: Warning about PressBlaster spam In-reply-to: <Pine.GSO.4.21.0202031856570.12231-100000at_private> To: declanat_private I'm going to risk my life here by defending "press blaster." Please, before you scorch me, read on. As "the press" it's our job, nay, our duty to take press releases and tips from everyone so inclined to send them. With this territory comes the inane, the irrelevant, the goofy, and, yes, my favorite, the cranks. I am dismayed by the attitude so prevalent these days among reporters that people who "can't write a press release" have no business contacting them. I am at loss to explain this attitude, but it does seem to be the kind thinking that gets us labeled as an "elite" of corporate lapdogs who are fed their stories by a professional corps of spinmiesters. A free press is no use without free access to it. I hate Spam as much as the next guy, but as long as someone is really sending me a press release (even a bulk e-mail press release) and not trying to sell me an "amazing new product" or a "secret investment tool," it seems to me that that is a legitimate use of my publicly available professional e-mail address. Let the flames fly. Margie ============================================================ / Margie Wylie / +1 415.647.5287 Phone / / National Correspondent / +1 415.637.5003 Cell / / Newhouse News Service / +1 415.647.5297 Fax / / http://www.newhouse.com / cyberspace and technology beat / =========================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Feb 07 2002 - 13:33:47 PST