• @[email protected]
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    1572 months ago

    A Reddit spokesperson, who requested that The Verge not use their name due to the sensitive subject matter

    What the fuck is this? We’re granting corporate spokespeople anonymity now?

    • Ulrich
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      892 months ago

      You give it to whoever asks for it or you never get another source again.

        • @[email protected]
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          292 months ago

          Was this corporate spokesperson authorized to talk to this outlet about this topic? Just because they’re a spokesperson doesn’t mean they can talk freely.

          • @[email protected]
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            22 months ago

            Yes, that’s what a spokesperson is. Did you read the article? If it was a leak that would have been stated.

        • subignition
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          92 months ago

          Even though it’s a corporate spokesperson, they wouldn’t have requested anonymity if they were allowed to talk about it…

          • ✺roguetrick✺
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            132 months ago

            Untrue. Reddit employees doing what their bosses tell them to are justifiably afraid of the blowback. Reminds me of the directive to not wear Reddit branding with the 3rd party app thing These folks don’t want targets on their back.

        • @[email protected]
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          52 months ago

          In journalism, a source is a person, publication, or knowledge of other record or document that gives timely information. Outside journalism, sources are sometimes known as “news sources”. Examples of sources include official records, publications or broadcasts, officials in government or business, organizations or corporations, witnesses of crime, accidents or other events, and people involved with or affected by a news event or issue.

        • Ulrich
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          -112 months ago

          I’m not reading that. What are you saying?

          • @[email protected]
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            2 months ago

            Take the link and scroll down to the section titled “ON BACKGROUND”

            Edit: I never learn how to not try to be helpful to hostile commenters. I’m legit just trying to clarify or explain.

            I tried to help someone who prefaced their confusion with an assertion that they were unwilling to read the linked material. This one’s on me, I guess.

            • Ulrich
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              2 months ago

              I still don’t get it. Nothing there says a spokesperson is not a source. Which is good because saying such a thing would make absolutely no sense.

              I’m legit just trying to clarify or explain.

              Don’t know what makes you label me as “hostile”, I’m legit just trying to understand.

              they were unwilling to read the linked material

              It’s like 12 paragraphs of non-sense. The person who looked it up and shared the link could just as easily have copied and shared the relevant portion.

              • @[email protected]
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                42 months ago

                A corporate spokesperson spoke to them “on background”. A “corporate communications professional speaking to [them] in [their] official capacity“ has the option detailed in that section to request anonymity while being quoted.

                There must have been an agreement between The Verge and the corporate representative to speak without being identified beyond their affiliation with the company, as described In the section titled “on background”.

                • Ulrich
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                  2 months ago

                  Once again, none of this contradicts what I said.

                  • @[email protected]
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                    2 months ago

                    “Nothing there said the spokesperson is not a source”

                    They said in their statements that they wouldn’t identify a corporate spokesperson as a “source familiar”. That language — corporate spokesperson — is intended to avoid describing the representative as an actual “source” in the sense of identifying them as a leak.

    • Chozo
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      412 months ago

      Uhh, isn’t that kinda against the whole point of being a spokesperson in the first place? To put a name and a face behind a message?

      Dunno why The Verge plays along.

      • @[email protected]
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        222 months ago

        Because The Verge wants them to return their calls. It’s not like it matters. Spokespeople aren’t the ones making decisions. It’s the C-suits, which is publicly available.

      • @[email protected]
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        72 months ago

        What the fuck is “the anti evil operations team”? That sounds like corpospeak for a team that does deeply evil shit

    • ivanafterall ☑️
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      62 months ago

      Actually, yeah. Otherwise, you fuck up whistleblowing. They could be in the position, realize what’s happening is wrong, be documenting it, trying to get out, etc…

      • @[email protected]
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        12 months ago

        Are you seriously suggesting there is no way to grant whistleblowers anonymity without granting it to corporate spokespeople providing statements on behalf of the company? You’re a fucking idiot