I sent Wired an email with regards to their latest attack by Senior Editor Kevin Poulson on Anonymous.

To Whom it May Concern,

Wired has a long history of journalistic integrity and is well respected not only in technology circles but amongst peers in mainstream media as well. One does not have to be a subscriber to know of this. One does not have to have read a single issue to know Wired has lofty standards, and an article published within its covers is on par with one would read in Time or Newsweek.

Which is why I was dismayed to read Senior Editor Kevin Poulson’s latest article, “Hackers Assault Epilepsy Patients via Computer”. Specifically, my concern is with this paragraph:

“Circumstantial evidence suggests the attack was the work of members of Anonymous, an informal collective of griefers best known for their recent war on the Church of Scientology. The first flurry of posts on the epilepsy forum referenced the site EBaumsWorld, which is much hated by Anonymous. And forum members claim they found a message board thread — since deleted — planning the attack at 7chan.org, a group stronghold.”

As someone who [relevant personal info removed], I was extremely disturbed to read that admittedly “circumstantial evidence” and currently non-extistent discussions are being passed off as legitimate sources to tarnish an entire group of people. If this were from some nobody’s blog, I would simply roll my eyes and go on with my day. However, since that this has been published on Wired’s website, I instead felt deeply insulted and motivated to comment.

I expected much more from a long-time editor of Wired, and of Wired itself. Instead, I am left with the impression that this contributor has misused the authority that Wired welds. I feel that Poulson’s choice in both wording and source is a blemish on Wired’s otherwise impeccable record.

Respectfully yours,

This is not the first time Wired has attacked Anonymous. Completely irresponsible and sloppy reporting that reeks of a vendetta needs to be corrected regardless of who is the subject.

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 29th, 2008 at 3:37 pm and is filed under Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.