E-mail brawl: Steve Jobs vs Journalism College student

[ConceptVBS]

http://gawker.com/5641211/steve-jobs-in-email-pissing-match-with-college-journalism-student

Outstanding PR there Jobs. Nice.

 

[lbro]

He's pissed she's using a Blackberry instead of an iPhone.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

That woman has an unjustifiably large sense of entitlement.

Besides, she obviously stinks at jourtnalism. If I was her I would have lied to Apple and told them I was calling from Forbes , Reuters or the Wall Street Journal. How else do you think smaller news sources get info?

I find the "dear Santa"-esque emails to Jobs amusing though.

 

[RawBert]

I do somewhat enjoy these types of back-and-forth email discussions/arguments between Steve and a random person. Most are quite entertaining. I like the fact that Steve even bothers.
Having said that, the person who is arguing with Steve (IMO), has some damn nerve releasing this to the online media. I think this one in particular tried to antagonize Steve but hardly had a point. Sure, you might say Steve has no class or is being crass and short. I don't see it like that. What is a little low class, is releasing this to the media. She's trying to make Steve seem like he doesn't care about his customers. Waaaaaa... Booo-hooo... Get over it, babe.

It's like anyone who gets into it with Steve is a witness at a crime scene.

Again, it is entertaining. So I'm not complaining about reading this sort of thing. Just not agreeing with her point of view. Like Lord Backadder said, she feels entitled.

 

[KnightWRX]

Oh please, Steve a victim ? Really RawBert, you're gonna make us all cry.

Steve knows when he replies to these e-mails that it's going to be all over the tech blogs. He's not dumb. I bet he expects it.

Now, of course she was wrong, Apple PR doesn't have to respond to every "journalist" that wants a quote if they don't feel like quoting. That's why sometimes stories get published and just say "Apple has yet to respond to our request for comment". Maybe she should read a paper once in a while.

 

[jaw04005]

Now, of course she was wrong, Apple PR doesn't have to respond to every "journalist" that wants a quote if they don't feel like quoting. That's why sometimes stories get published and just say "Apple has yet to respond to our request for comment". Maybe she should read a paper once in a while.

She’s going to have a hell of time in the world of journalism if she expects every one of her “sources" to respond to her request for comment.

That’s why they call it a request.

Then again she probably posted this entire thing in order to generate internship or job offers from tabloids like Valleywag. Maybe she’s smarter than we all are giving her credit for.

 

[Abstract]

I think Steve handled this idiot well. I'm surprised.

 

[sushi]

That woman as an unjustifiably large sense of entitlement.

Seems that way.

How many CEOs would answer a request like this in the first place, let alone honestly? While SJ was curt with her, I think he was also giving her a life lesson at the same time.

 

[macfan881]

out of all the places of tech sites why am I not surprised I saw this on Gawker/Gizmodo still acting like 2 year old's.

 

[macfan881]

That woman as an unjustifiably large sense of entitlement.

Besides, she obviously stinks at jourtnalism. If I was her I would have lied to Apple and told them I was calling from Forbes , Reuters or the Wall Street Journal. How else do you think smaller news sources get info?

I find the "dear Santa"-esque emails to Jobs amusing though.

you buy it of of them from what they find at a bar.

 

[Nebrie]

This quote sums it up right here "I'm a completely self-absorbed unemployed egomaniac who has made it thru daddy and the wonders of high interest student loans who does not understand that in the real world, real people making lots of money have real jobs and are really really busy.":

"Now, can they kindly respond to my request (my polite and friendly voice can be heard in the first 5 or 10 messages in their inbox). Please, I am on deadline."



Here is a good comment I found elsewhere:

"1) as others have called out "sent via blackberry"

2) no you are not a customer see above.

3) no you are not a customer calling about a problem, you are a journalist calling for a quote. If you plan on being a journalist you need to understand how to asses your role in a situation.

4) you current problem is that of your role as a journalist, not as a customer of APPL.

5) you have offloaded your problem to now be someone else's problem. Your problem of getting a B is everyone else's fault but not your own.

6) the two worst millennial qualities were loud and clear: entitlement perspective and lack or accountability for one's own problems."

 

[ChazUK]

"1) as others have called out "sent via blackberry"

2) no you are not a customer see above.

How does owning a BlackBerry make you not a customer of Apple? She may as well own/use a Mac, iPod, iPad e.t.c

Owning an iPod touch, an iMac and various Apple peripherals, software and using iTunes to purchace music, am I not an Apple customer because I use a different smart phone platform?

The definition of a customer is being rewritten here it seems.

 

[iMacThere4Iam]

Well, she can ride these 15 minutes of fame into a career now. She did her homework: in modern journalism, it's not about reporting a story. It's about being PART OF the story. The decline of Western civilization continues.

 

[ZMacintosh]

I lol'd at these.

one thing I find funny they post all these interactions, post "sjobs" email but always block their own out...awww c'mon now...

 

[eawmp1]

After her sixth request to Apple "Media" Relations and her first request to Jobs' email, a RESPONSIBLE journalist would have written "Apple was unavailable for comment." She descended to tabloid techniques, baiting the "interviewee" and reporting on the interaction.

 

[BoyBach]

Note to journalism student: Company PR departments are not there to serve the media. The media are there to serve company PR departments.

 

[steviem]

Wow, Amazing brawl there

He didn't need to even reply though.

Although he could at least reply to my 'Apple TV looks awesome and would be even more awesome with Facetime' email

 

[Peterkro]

Well, she can ride these 15 minutes of fame into a career now. She did her homework: in modern journalism, it's not about reporting a story. It's about being PART OF the story. The decline of Western civilization continues.

This be the truth of the matter.

 

[allmIne]

That woman as an unjustifiably large sense of entitlement.

I concur. And I'm not saying that as an Apple fanboy; rather, it seems she wants the world to come to her, and dislikes being told it won't.

 

[brodie]

More terse replies from Steve Jobs

http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&.../sep/20/steve-jobs-emails-journalist-response

Steve is apparently back on form....

The text of emails seen by the Guardian show the chief executive of Apple in profoundly unhelpful mood when a college student got no help from its PR department

Lots of journalists know the experience of contacting Apple to ask about a story and getting no response. But now a journalism student has discovered the experience too. Chelsea Isaacs, who is doing a journalism degree at Long Island University, was asked by her professor to write an article about the implementation of an iPad program at the campus.
So, obviously, being a wannabe journalist, since the story was about Apple, she contacted its press office. Not once, but six times, getting increasingly wound up. And then finally, in the way of a journalist right on deadline, she dug out an email address that is all over the web which is believed to belong to Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple. Perhaps he could help?
We've seen the headers on the emails from Jobs, and they match IP addresses that could only come from within Apple. We sent the emails - with headers - to Apple on Friday afternoon (morning, their time) and asked for an urgent response by Sunday evening.
And guess what they said? Oh, we'll tell you at the end. First, the emails. We take up the story at 3.22pm (EDT) on Thursday 16 September with Isaacs's first email to Jobs.
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's MediaRelations Dept.
Dear Mr. Jobs,"
As a college student, I can honestly say that Apple has treated me very well; my iPod is basically the lifeline that gets me through the day, and thanks to Apple's Final Cut Pro, I aced last semester's video editing project. I was planning to buy a new Apple computer to add to my list of Apple favorites. Because I have had such good experiences as a college student using Apple products, I was incredibly surprised to find Apple's Media Relations Department to be absolutely unresponsive to my questions, which (as I had repeatedly told them in voicemail after voicemail) are vital to my academic grade as a student journalist.
For my journalism course, I am writing an article about the implementation of an iPad program at my school, the CW Post Campus of Long Island University.
The completion of this article is crucial to my grade in the class, and it may potentially get published in our university's newspaper. I had 3 quick questions regarding iPads, and wanted to obtain answers from the most credible source: Apple's Media Relations Department. I have called countless times throughout the week, leaving short, but detailed, messages which included my contact information and the date of my deadline. Today, I left my 6th message, which stressed the increasingly more urgent nature of the situation. It is now the end of the business day, and I have not received a call back. My deadline is tomorrow.
Mr. Jobs, I humbly ask why Apple is so wonderfully attentive to the needs of students, whether it be with the latest, greatest invention or the company's helpful customer service line, and yet, ironically, the Media Relations Department fails to answer any of my questions which are, as I have repeatedly told them, essential to my academic performance.
For colleges nationwide, Apple is at the forefront of improving the way we function in the academic environment, increasing the efficiency of conducting academic research, as well as sharing and communicating with our college communities. With such an emphasis on advancing our education system, why, then, has Apple's Media Relations team ignored my needs as a student journalist who is just trying to get a good grade?
In addition to the hypocrisy of ignoring student needs when they represent a company that does so much for our schools, the Media Relations reps are apparently, also failing to responsibly handle the inquiries of professional journalists on deadlines. Unfortunately, for a journalist in the professional world, lacking the answers they need on deadline day won't just cost them a grade; it could cost them their job.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Kate Isaacs, Senior, CW Post - Long Island University
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
The answer pings back at 16:19 (57 minutes later):
From: Steve Jobs [address and header confirmed - CA]
To: Chelsea Isaacs
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's Media Relations Dept.
Our goals do not include helping you get a good grade. Sorry.
Sent from my iPhone
Gathering herself, Chelsea emails back at 4.37 (she's taken 18 minutes over this):
Thank you for your reply. I never said that your goal should be to "help me get a good grade." Rather, I politely asked why your media relations team does not respond to emails, which consequently, decreases my chances of getting a good grade. But, forget about my individual situation; what about common courtesy, in general --- if you get a message from a client or customer, as an employee, isn't it your job to return the call? That's what I always thought. But I guess that's not one of your goals. Yes, you do have a creative approach, indeed.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Is she slightly annoyed? Yes, I think that might be the case.
Back comes the response at 17.10 (33 minutes, if you're counting)
From: Steve Jobs
To: Chelsea Isaacs
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's Media Relations Dept.
Nope. We have over 300 million users and we can't respond to their requests unless they involve a problem of some kind. Sorry.
Sent from my iPhone
And at 5.32 (22 minutes later) Chelsea has her answer:
You're absolutely right, and I do meet your criteria for being a customer who deserves a response:
1. I AM one of your 300 million users.
2. I DO have a problem; I need answers that only Apple Media Relations can answer.
Now, can they kindly respond to my request (my polite and friendly voice can be heard in the first 5 or 10 messages in their inbox). Please, I am on deadline.
I appreciate your help.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Long pause. Perhaps he's contacting the PR people, having realised that Isaacs only has three questions, that they're about iPads, and that the media relations people might be able to sort it out.
Ya think?
At 18.27, just under an hour since Isaacs's last email, comes the final reply:
From: Steve Jobs
To: Chelsea Isaacs
Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's MediaRelations Dept.
Please leave us alone.
Sent from my iPhone
We have had no response from Apple on whether the emails are legit. We're quite confident that they come from within Apple (they come from the 17.x.x.x IP range, which is assigned to Apple)- but there seem to be three possibilities for who's writing them:
1) Steve Jobs. This is the most likely answer, though there has been an instance where Apple's PR people have - shockingly - roused themselves to say that one such conversation is a fake, though in that case the person having hte conversation had been hawking it around for money. Isaacs hasn't asked for money, and has answered our questions.
2) Someone inside Apple who has been given the job of answering as though they're Steve Jobs to random emails from outside. If that's the case, they're not covering themselves in glory.
3) Someone inside Apple who has been assigned this email address, and is responding as best they can, but can't really handle it.
Whichever it is, Apple would probably do well to stop that person sending responses to people outside Apple. Honestly, it doesn't look good.
And it might also make sense for Apple's PR department to recruit a couple more people.
Chelsea Isaacs, meanwhile, joins the vast ranks of journalists who've put media queries into Apple and never heard back. Unfortunately, it's not what you'd call an exclusive club. And as far as we know, she didn't get the answers about the iPad either.

 

[spencers]

Hey look, more fake sjobs emails!

 

[darkplanets]

I call fake.

He's a master at PR; I doubt he would ever say please leave us alone, he would simply decline to reply.

That said, if this WAS him, I'd commend it. It's nice to see a fresh face of realism and honesty in the corporate world, instead of constant PR-aware, overly sappy, neutral responses that skirt the point and seek to minimize any potential damage in the sake of professionalism and PR.

Of course that's assuming he wrote it, which he didn't. Either she faked it for her grade, or Gizmodo is just trying to keep their visitors up.

 

[djellison]

He's a master at PR; I

Hell yeah he is, telling people they're holding the phone the wrong way. BRILLIANT PR.

 

[puckhead193]

i think the most interesting thing about this is that she attends CW Post on Long Island..

 

[niuniu]

Job's is an egotist. The usually only replies to offload on someone and make them feel small, so he can feel big. When you see him beside Gates for example, Gates always appears like a man contended, secure. Jobs doesn't look comfortable unless he's on stage by himself, or dictating to someone.

I was cringing when Jobs was at that California gig beside other big personalities - he definitely didn't look comfortable. Was sat there fidgeting and squirming.. really terrible.

If he wasn't CEO of Apple, anyone with any maturity would snub him because of his personality.