Rafat Ali describes the Wall Street Journal's new policy on embargoes and exclusives: no, and yes. And I like it. Enough to consider adopting it for upFront.eZine.
The WSJ policy works like this: no embargoes unless they are exclusive.
(An embargo is where a hardware company offers WSJ early information on a new product, but asks WSJ to not write about it until a specific date. This date is the same one all other media outlets are also asked to honor. We recently saw this when a large number of CAD and technology blogs all wrote about a new 3D mouse -- on the same day.)
An exclusive is when only the WSJ gets to write about the new product. All other media outlets are forced to report on it later. By being first, the thinking goes, more people are likely to read the WSJ than another outlet.
Mr Ali's story goes on to report on a number of foul-ups the new policy has created as WSJ reporters try to get in on the group scoop. TechCrunch also follows a similar policy of only-exclusive embargoes.
Makes one wonder why might happen if every news outlet adopts the same policy. I might end up being #456 on the priority list!
The WSJ policy works like this: no embargoes unless they are exclusive.
(An embargo is where a hardware company offers WSJ early information on a new product, but asks WSJ to not write about it until a specific date. This date is the same one all other media outlets are also asked to honor. We recently saw this when a large number of CAD and technology blogs all wrote about a new 3D mouse -- on the same day.)
An exclusive is when only the WSJ gets to write about the new product. All other media outlets are forced to report on it later. By being first, the thinking goes, more people are likely to read the WSJ than another outlet.
According to our sources, the WSJ will accept embargoes for exclusives but not when other media outlets are involved unless the story is considered big enough.
Mr Ali's story goes on to report on a number of foul-ups the new policy has created as WSJ reporters try to get in on the group scoop. TechCrunch also follows a similar policy of only-exclusive embargoes.
Makes one wonder why might happen if every news outlet adopts the same policy. I might end up being #456 on the priority list!
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