I first found out about Gizmodo’s stupidity on ValleyWag a little earlier today; the post read “What’s the difference between a blogger and a journalist? Nothing, says CNET’s Rafe Needleman. But he’s concerned that Gizmodo’s sophomoric prank, using a TV remote control to turn off video screens at the CES 2008 gadgetfest, will get bloggers disinvited to the event next year. After all, CES only grudgingly started accrediting bloggers to the show.” digital-fingerprint@geardiary.com
I had no idea what Owen Thomas, the post author, was talking about, so I went to Gizmodo and took a look…which turned into a moment of wide-eyed horror.
In a post titled “Confessions: The Meanest Thing Gizmodo Did at CES“, Brian Lam - Editor of Gizmodo- basically bragged about committing corporate sabotage. [The emphasis in the following quote was added by me]
CES has no shortage of displays. And when MAKE offered us some TV-B-Gone clickers to bring to the show, we pretty much couldn’t help ourselves. We shut off a TV. And then another. And then a wall of TVs. And we just couldn’t stop. (And Panasonic, you’re so lucky that 150-incher didn’t have an active IR port.)
Added later, evidently after the backlash began, was the statement that “It was too much fun, but watching this video, we realize it probably made some people’s jobs harder, and I don’t agree with that (Especially Motorola). We’re sorry.” [Once again, the emphasis was added by me]
Before you tell me that corporate sabotage is too strong of a condemnation, let me tell you something…
