\'Contrary to Bloomberg\'s obituary gaff, I\'m very much alive.\' Image: WhatCounts/Flickr.Apple CEO Steve Jobs likely woke up today and was forced to pinch himself quite violently after learning that an embarrassing slip by business news service Bloomberg saw his premature obituary published on the Net.
\'Contrary to Bloomberg\'s obituary gaff, I\'m very much alive.\' Image: WhatCounts/Flickr.
Although the obituary was swiftly removed by Bloomberg, which also posted an understandably apologetic retraction, online industry hawks had long-since preyed upon the helpless editorial error.
Specifically, Gawker.com was first to unearth Bloomberg’s gaff, posting the detailed recap of Jobs’s life and career to its site, which subsequently led to an explosion of focused coverage -- including this story.
Along with a thorough breakdown of milestone achievements amassed by Jobs during his professional and personal life, the obituary was headed by the rather ominous note “HOLD FOR RELEASE -- DO NOT USE,” while the document also included a selection of individuals that Bloomberg staff should contact in the event of Jobs’s death.
Jobs, longstanding co-founder and internationally recognisable figurehead of gadget and computer titan Apple Inc., is a very much live and kicking 53 years old, and, somewhat poignantly, a survivor of pancreatic cancer.
In issuing its hasty retraction, Bloomberg said that: “An incomplete story referencing Apple Inc. was inadvertently published by Bloomberg News at 4:27 p.m. New York time today. The item was never meant for publication and has been retracted.”
When it comes to celebrities and other famous individuals, it’s apparently nothing out of the ordinary for media outlets to compile and regularly update detailed obituaries ahead of actual deaths.
Bloomberg has outlined that its unfortunate publication slip was caused during such a routine update to Jobs’s record, when the refreshed obituary should have been directed to the company’s internal wire but somehow found its way to the external wire for Bloomberg subscribers instead.
Despite being pulled from the Net within 30 seconds of release, Bloomberg was not able to prevent the subsequent impact of egg it has been wiping off its reputation ever since.
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David GerardSep 1st, 2008 - 14:35:26
'They don't call it the Jesus Phone for nothing.' notnews.today.com/?p=47
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David GerardSep 1st, 2008 - 14:35:26
'They don't call it the Jesus Phone for nothing.' notnews.today.com/?p=47
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