Here's my two cents regarding Herb Greenberg:
I worked as a journalist nationally and internationally for ten years, and I must admit that I'm a little stunned by the tact and tone Greenberg has taken.
Of course we all know that an unbiased report by a journalist is an unobtainable ideal. We are all human, and our opinions do at least in some subtle way leak into our presentation of the story. But it is important to remember that the first rule of good journalism is balance---it is absolutely incumbant upon the journalist to make every effort to present both sides of any story.
Mr. Greenberg might respond that his articles are more commentary than objective journalism. Fair enough. But if that is his intent, then he fails, for in making his point he disregards the latest available information, using only those facts, many of them outdated, that support his viewpoint.
This is irresponsibly misleading. To give Greenberg the full benefit of the doubt, one assumes that he is writing his articles to give the "little guy" a better shake in the market. But as we all know information is the investor's best friend, and his articles are unquestionably bereft of timely information. As an editor, I would never allow his articles to appear as they do. The work is simply sloppy at best.
What would alarm me even more, however, as an editor, is the repetitive malevolent tone Greenberg takes toward C-Cube, as if it were some kind of personal affront every time the price of shares of the company goes up. This broadcasts to the audience a failure of personal disassociation with a story, again something that is anathema to good journalism. And even if the writer really does not have a personal financial interest in the stock, it suggests as much, making his commentary all the less credible.
Even if I knew nothing of C-Cube Microsystems, based on the very nature of his writings, I would find it difficult to give Mr. Greenberg any credence. A far better example of good jouranlism can be found in the WSJ article written by Dean Takahashi on Monday. I am not just saying this because I am long CUBE---the Journal article is balanced and informed.
Best Regards,
PD |
