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The Internet crashed today.
The supposed source of all up-to-date information went down over worldwide interest in the death of Michael Jackson.
Here's a great column by Internet watchdog Dean Takahashi, explaining the phenomenon.
Radio did not go down. The medium covered the event and is still covering it. (I'll be on KGO-AM (810) talking about Michael and my time spent with Janet Jackson tomorrow in the 7 a.m. hour.
Let this be a warning. We are way too dependent on a questionable technology, and the technology won't replace the essence of journalism over the past centuries: shoe leather, investigations, questions, on the scene reporting.
A lot of stupid media companies have downsized, thinking that humans can be replaced. It's not so, even if the Internet site TMZ was first on the story (proving again that gossip sites and papers know the value of good sourcing).
You look at a mediocre publication, or many of them in the case of the newspapers owned by Media News in the Bay Area, and most of the reporters don't live in the towns they cover, or have the kind of sources who can steer them to information first. The mediocre managers think they can save money by getting news from the Internet. Nothing proves that isn't the case more than this.
Meanwhile, Jackson's death ranks with those of Elvis and John Lennon, in terms of his importance in pop music. It's creepy that he, Farrah and Ed McMahon died so close together, all icons of the '70s.
I sat with Janet Jackson once watching the MTV music awards. She had ducked out of the main hall at Radio City Music Hall and walked into an empty pressroom in the mid '90s, where I was filing a story. We talked for a while. I'd interviewed her before, and she was always down to earth and was proud of being so.
She told me she had few Hollywood friends and her favorite vacations were camping trips.
"What about Michael?" I asked. "You have to give me the real scoop."
"Don't ask me," she said. "I think he's as weird as everyone else does."
As a reporter, that was one of those moments I'll always treasure, a moment of truth.
Comments
I first heard about MJ's death on Sirius/XM Hits One. Then followed up on CNN's channel.
Radio isn't dying just evolving.
I was the first at my job to hear about it on mix106.5 in california. As a product of the 80's this was the biggest blow to us all, tears and sadness overcame me and wii continue to for the days to come. All my prayers are with the jackson family and all the fans
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I heard he was rushed to the Hospital from NBC news on TV and followed up online, got more info online, more quickly and it never crashed... I bet Janet would say that never happened, so cool of you to post that you creep.
I am looking forward to all those who will now try to make money or fame from MJ's tragedy. Book deals anyone? The knives have already come out.
B.S. The web didn't crash....as a 'reporter' the story should be about something factual, not you!
Ass....
What a complete load of rubbish. The internet didn't crash today, a couple of big sites got hammered with traffic, but there was no shortage of alternatives at all...ever.
I usually love irony, but the fact that you praise Janet for being so down to Earth and then publish something she said about her brother, which taken in today's context is really pretty disgusting...well, it's tough to enjoy that.
Questionable technology? You should probably have a look at your calendar. Here in 2009, the internet isn't the voo doo it used to be, and everyone seemed to do just fine when it hiccuped earlier. What a moron. The sky falling was far more troubling than the 'internet crashing.' Looks like you missed that when you wrote your rubbish two cents, but maybe it wasn't reported on the radio.
What a twat.
Those comments must be for those people who does not care about human life.ok,they got your cowardly message,YOU WANT ATTENTION OK, MOMMY CAN WIPE YOUR BUTT NOW!YOUR A HIGH POWERED COWARD THATS WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU SELF PROCLAMED REPORTERS,BE LIKE MICHEAL MAKE SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE CAN LOVE AND UNDERSTAND ONLY THE BUBBA'S LIKED THAT ONE.ITS NOT ALOT OF YOU GUYS LEFT SO YOU BETTER FIND YOU A ABORTION DOCTOR TO TAKE OUT YOU NEED EVERY MAN YOU CAN GET.YOU SLEAZE BALL.
It's ironic that Michael Jackson said to the press that "this was it." And he really meant it. Now he's gone. Hard to believe. I hope that tomorrow we will all hear more positive things about Michael Jackson in the press that what this "twat" said. Hopefully we will hear what Janet Jackson really does have to say for her younger brother now that he is gone.
I doubt seriously Janet said that...
i'm sure janet didnt mean it like that. her words were taken out of context.. who doesnt think their siblings brother, sister are weird, in there own way? but not having meant to be mean about it.
Your A mean Spirited Jerk Off He just past away and people are still degradeing him in his death he has children that one day are going to come face to face with all this stuff about there dad lets try to show some compassion they did just use a loved one and oh yeah i agree with the other comment he will become more iconic then ever which means its lining someones pocket shame shame hollywood is falling its not once what it was glitz and glammar its just one big highschool with a bunch of highschool bull shi*
A really nasty story from a really miniscule person. Why would you publish a statement like that, which is 100% lacking in credibility today?
The Internet did NOT crash... are you kidding. This piece is ridiculous. I was on TMZ.com reading an article, clicked back to the homepage and they had a breaking headline MJ was rushed to the hospital.. Then someone I follow on Twitter got CONFIRMATION of the tragic death from a source inside the hospital before ANY news source. Your piece is incorrect.
As far as the Janet comment, as one of her biggest fans, I know for a fact that you are either lying or taking her words completely out of context. For you to say it was "a moment of truth" is rubbish.
to the jackson family you have my most deepest sympathy and heart. Micheal dont worry because god is pleased with you dont judge him because god have all things in his hand micheal you are free you are in a better place where there are no more sorrow and nothing but love for you dont feel alone you are truly love and admired by all your fans and may god bless your family at this time you will always be the one to try to live up to
I may have an extra for David Nelson tonight. Call me...
You are an idiot. Reporters like you make me avoid traditional media like newspapers and radio. Sounds like you are afraid of technology and have no idea about the volume of information and content that flows through the internet. So what if a couple sites crash temporarily? Like radio always has excellent reception and quality? You are bitter. Did MJ decline to grant you an interview once? Were you laid off from a large media company?
I was shocked to read such misinformation from such a respected paper. "Questionable Technology"?!!
A) The internet doesn't "crash", anymore than the world's freeway systems stop functioning when a few major cities have heavy traffic. The internet is not a place, or a thing - it's a series of interconnected networks.
Quick tutorial: Major sites use "edge networks" so that network traffic is distributed to servers in your local area. When a connection to a major website is slow, it's likely the edge network is slow, and that delay is different in every city, country, etc.
In New York they would not necessarily have the same delay as users in Los Angeles.
2) Almost all websites today rely on advertising networks for their revenue, and these ad networks use their own "edge networks" to deliver the ads but send data back to their hosts for every single ad rendered, and this almost always contributes to extra time loading web pages. The more ads, the slower the site is likel
When I read the headline here, I thought it had something to do with MJ's music, rather than his untimely death. No, radio isn't good for music any more, apparently; just for delivering news.
The '80s generation may be the last to even know where to find news on a radio, let alone on an AM radio. Everyone born since then, and many born earlier, have moved on to more "open source" means of receiving news and information.
By the way, from the moment the story hit the Internet, I was juggling between TV (MSNBC, CNN), radio (KCBS) and the Web (latimes.com, reuters.com and tmz.com). Everybody covered it equally well. And the Internet didn't crash.
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