Cornered! is a blog devoted, most of the time anyway, to telecommunications: local and global issues, technology, people and trends from the perspective of someone who's been reporting, analysing and commenting on the industry since the dark ages (BC - before competition). Sometimes serious, sometimes flippant, sometimes frivolous. Controversial, analytical, informative, amusing, but never boring; a vehicle for examinations of important issues and observations on my encounters and experiences in an industry where polarised views and hyperbole are the norm.
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Cornered! Who's the April Fool?
Cornered! Who's the April Fool? | Who's the April Fool? |
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| by Stuart Corner | |
| Saturday, 04 April 2009 | |
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And this unfortunate incident holds some salutary lessons about news in the era of the Internet. You the author have absolutely no control of your story once it hits the net. You don't know where it will appear, how much of it will appear or how someone else will take it, twist it and rebrand it as their own. This one apparently made mischief on the ASX after finding its way to the US and back again minus a few crucial few last words. It ended "more to follow" instead of "more to follow on this on April Fools Day 2009." Also, of course, thanks to time differences it hit the Internet a day earlier in the US, March 31. The article was given extra credibility by quoting iiNet carrier relations manager, John Lindsay, and telecommunications industry 'guru' Paul Budde, both of whom were in on the joke. After the proverbial hit the fan, Budde was reported regretting not having asked to see the final article before it went to press and saying: "The idea Telstra would agree to separating its wholesale and retail networks was so preposterous that everyone would realise it was a joke." Well actually I think it's preposterous to believe that "everyone" is so finally attuned to the nuances of Australian telecommunications and so up-the-minute on the machinations of Telstra that they would be capable of immediately dismissing the idea of Telstra embracing the idea of a split as preposterous.
This article first appeared in ExchangeDaily, iTWire's daily newsletter for telecommunications professionals. Register here for your free trial.
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