What ever happened to quality news posts?


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I've been a Neowin member since July 2004 and it seems that in just the past few months, the news quality here went from great down to horrible. I used to read Neowin news daily and even preferred it over Slashdot for tech news, but the unbiased opinions and just overall quality topics appear to have completely disappeared lately. I lately have been laughing at a lot of the news posts because everything that is about Apple is FUD, everything about Microsoft (and especially Windows) is as if worshipping a god, and the topics overall are just ridiculous.

Examples:

Hackers Use Parking Tickets To Infect Peoples' Computers

JAJAH turns iPod Touch into phone

UK spent 6.6 billion on new ID's, didnt buy one card reader

These posts are nothing short of ridiculous.

Snow Leopard will know your location, via the Internet

The title makes it seem Big Brother-esque, when this is an entirely legitimate service that will ask you before being activated and is already present on the iPhone and iPod touch.

I am a PC and I am 4 1/2 years old

This article is ridiculously pro-Microsoft. A news website
should
be unbiased...

Edited by br_
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I disagree with you. I have been a member since '02 and I don't think the news quality has gone down. I think neowin has really expanded since then.

I think the quality that you are talking about is just whats going on in the world today and isn't neowin's fault. Also about the titles, you have to post a catchy title. Frankly I don't see what is ridiculous about those topics.

AND I don't think we are worshiping windows either, you have to remember that it is neoWIN meaning new windows (made right when xp came out I believe) and the majority of neowin's members(as well as the world!) use windows. It is near impossible to create a perfectly unbiased website especially one such as neowin where so many members post the news as well.

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@br_:

I'd like to point out to you that just about every news article you read "since July 2004" until recently was sourced from other news outlets and new websites (I may have only been registered since 2007, but believe me I frequented here often before then).

Recently, Neowin made a lot of changes to improve their news division, mainly by having most, if not all, of their news articles original; meaning Neowin staff write them themselves. This, to me, has made Neowin a much better place for news. Not only is it something different to read, instead of me reading the same thing over again (as I used to get my news from elsewhere anyway), but it also allows for more deeper articles.

Have you not seen Chakkaradeep Chandran's (Chaks) very informative and detailed, Windows 7 Feature Focus'? Each one of those is full of helpful screenshots and really useful information! I have learnt a lot.

Sean Bradford (RebelSean) and Andrew Fairbairn (the andyman) have the latest Windows Live news, which is fantastic as it helps Neowin get it so much quicker. Tom Warren (Tom W) is a beta addict, so not only are him and Michael Stanclift (Marshalus) fantastic editors for how they have improved Neowin's news division so successfully, but we also tend to get the latest Microsoft news quicker ;)

Not to mention all of the other brilliant News Staff. I have yet to see any which I think shouldn't be reporters.

As for your last comment that "a news website should be unbiased"... why do you think Neowin's slogan is "Where unprofessional journalism looks better"? If I'm being honest, I don't think I actually have seen a biased Neowin article anyway. There may be an opinion once in a while, but I don't think I've noticed it much; if at all.

It's very nice to hear an opinion often as well, which is why I love Christopher Vendemio's (bangbang023) new 'Bang On' column so much!

The only problem I have with Neowin's news division now is that... I think Rappy should come back :p

Edited by CalumJR
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No news site/paper is unbiased, most papers are political, on the internet news sites are often on a narrower focus, like neowin is a tech site, and guess what, tech news sites are usually biased towards one of the big three, Windows/MS, MacOS/Apple or Linux/Open Source.

and guess what, NeoWin is mostly a windows/MS site. though that's not really true, they're actually a fairly bug Mac bias on the neowin news, and there's a Neowin linux distro, though I don't entirely see the need or purpose but I suppose it's good for those that want it.

either way, yeah of course Neowin is biased, but no it's not nearly as biased as you make it out to be. And the ID card article you linked to... what's wrong with it ? it was the only one I bothered clicking into and I didn't find anything wrong with it. And I didn't click into the software that makes an iPod into a phone news, but what's wrong about reporting about software that can make a wlan enabled mp player into a voip phone ?

As for the title of the snow leopard article. No, it's a simple bare facts article, it doesn't make it sound like it's spying on you. that would have been "Snow leopard reports your location and movements to Apple over the internet"

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To be honest I like the News Staff to add their own opinions underneath the article (clearly apart from the article), it will normally start the discussion and can bring the article together. I do think that some of the titles are misleading, which is a bit annoying but happens rarely so I will forgive them ;)

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Being a former newsie I think the staff that are posting now are really good and I am not going to say names but I think the MS and Apple coverage is pretty even and concise. Of course some days there won't be stories so you will trawl the net to find articles that will interest the readers I mean I did on Sundays where nothing really happens and the feedback was good.

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@br_:

I'd like to point out to you that just about every news article you read "since July 2004" until recently was sourced from other news outlets and new websites (I may have only been registered since 2007, but believe me I frequented here often before then).

Recently, Neowin made a lot of changes to improve their news division, mainly by having most, if not all, of their news articles original; meaning Neowin staff write them themselves. This, to me, has made Neowin a much better place for news. Not only is it something different to read, instead of me reading the same thing over again (as I used to get my news from elsewhere anyway), but it also allows for more deeper articles.

Have you not seen Chakkaradeep Chandran's (Chaks) very informative and detailed, Windows 7 Feature Focus'? Each one of those is full of helpful screenshots and really useful information! I have learnt a lot.

Sean Bradford (RebelSean) and Andrew Fairbairn (the andyman) have the latest Windows Live news, which is fantastic as it helps Neowin get it so much quicker. Tom Warren (Tom W) is a beta addict, so not only are him and Michael Stanclift (Marshalus) fantastic editors for how they have improved Neowin's news division so successfully, but we also tend to get the latest Microsoft news quicker ;)

Not to mention all of the other brilliant News Staff. I have yet to see any which I think shouldn't be reporters.

As for your last comment that "a news website should be unbiased"... why do you think Neowin's slogan is "Where unprofessional journalism looks better"? If I'm being honest, I don't think I actually have seen a biased Neowin article anyway. There may be an opinion once in a while, but I don't think I've noticed it much; if at all.

It's very nice to hear an opinion often as well, which is why I love Christopher Vendemio's (bangbang023) new 'Bang On' column so much!

The only problem I have with Neowin's news division now is that... I think Rappy should come back :p

Wheres my name drop? :(

We write all of our articles originally, or should. You will never see a copy and paste job again, unless it is submitted by another member other than staff, or in around the web.

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Wheres my name drop? :(

I put you under "all of the other brilliant News Staff" :p

I didn't want to miss people out by mentioning too many names :D

You, bdsams, James7, Sam Symons Live and the rest all help make the Neowin news division much better than it ever was :)

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I've been a Neowin member since July 2004 and it seems that in just the past few months, the news quality here went from great down to horrible. I used to read Neowin news daily and even preferred it over Slashdot for tech news, but the unbiased opinions and just overall quality topics appear to have completely disappeared lately. I lately have been laughing at a lot of the news posts because everything that is about Apple is FUD, everything about Microsoft (and especially Windows) is as if worshipping a god, and the topics overall are just ridiculous.

Examples:

Hackers Use Parking Tickets To Infect Peoples' Computers

JAJAH turns iPod Touch into phone

UK spent 6.6 billion on new ID's, didnt buy one card reader

These posts are nothing short of ridiculous.

Snow Leopard will know your location, via the Internet

The title makes it seem Big Brother-esque, when this is an entirely legitimate service that will ask you before being activated and is already present on the iPhone and iPod touch.

I am a PC and I am 4 1/2 years old

This article is ridiculously pro-Microsoft. A news website
should
be unbiased...

Sorry mate, but looks like your alone on this one.

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Sorry mate, but looks like your alone on this one.

Agreed. Even though I don't read the news on the front page, the examples he posted are ridiculous. If I do happen to accidently visit the front page, I don't see what he has a problem with.

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I've been a Neowin member since July 2004 and it seems that in just the past few months, the news quality here went from great down to horrible. I used to read Neowin news daily and even preferred it over Slashdot for tech news, but the unbiased opinions and just overall quality topics appear to have completely disappeared lately. I lately have been laughing at a lot of the news posts because everything that is about Apple is FUD, everything about Microsoft (and especially Windows) is as if worshipping a god, and the topics overall are just ridiculous.

Examples:

Hackers Use Parking Tickets To Infect Peoples' Computers

JAJAH turns iPod Touch into phone

UK spent 6.6 billion on new ID's, didnt buy one card reader

These posts are nothing short of ridiculous.

Snow Leopard will know your location, via the Internet

The title makes it seem Big Brother-esque, when this is an entirely legitimate service that will ask you before being activated and is already present on the iPhone and iPod touch.

I am a PC and I am 4 1/2 years old

This article is ridiculously pro-Microsoft. A news website
should
be unbiased...

I totally agree with you bro, have been a lurker since 2004 , Neowin has never been so low .

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I totally agree with you bro, have been a lurker since 2004 , Neowin has never been so low .

Care to give reasons please? Prefferably some that are valid too.

You know, the great thing about Neowin, is the ability for the community to change the whole essence of what Neowin is. However, in order to do that, you need to give proper examples and need to be part of a large group that agrees with what you are saying.

In a lot of cases, it seem that a small minority of people will scream that they dont like something, whereas the majority of Neowins community do not see the same problem.

It obviously bothers you enough to have posted that you dislike it. So therefore, why dont you give proper examples, instead of the ones that the OP has plucked out of the air. That way, the mods and admins etc can see if they can do something about it.

Your point?

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He makes a good point. But yeah, Neowin is and has for the most part been primarily Windows based discussion.

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Please. If anything its the opposite. There are posters that flood us with inane Apple News and Bait columns about MS and Windows like clockwork. There might be a natural reaction against it but thats expected. If you want this place turned into a iGestapo like most Apple forums than of course you'll have a backlash because I got news for you...it ain't 50/50 even though it might appear that way in the tech MSM coverage.

Edited by 9UnknownMen
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People seem to forget that they can always Submit to Newsdesk if they feel they can do better. Who knows, they might get a News Staff position out of it!

Agreed. If you think you can do better, find an article that hasn't been posted, and show Neowin what you can do! I've posted a few articles over the past couple of years. I like that users can submit news to the site. I like contributing to Neowin, although I'm not sure if I could cope with being a full-time news poster if I ever got promoted! :D

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I think a while back I read that Neowin was made for Windows help and stuff back in the day. Plus, with Windows 7 around the corner and the beta being out sure, their will plenty of Windows articles out.

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