Apple, bad news, Blogging, Journalism, New Media, News Media
by Joe Wilcox

Don’t Grub Gruber, Do Your Reporting!

Saturday night, I fumed after seeing more than 20 blogger news headlines repeating assertions made by Apple apologist John Gruber that the MacBook’s maker invented USB Type-C. Does no one independently confirm anymore? The rumor’s viral spread, when repeated often enough, will enter the Internet cultural lexicon of misinformation become truth.

Over at BetaNews, my colleague Mark Wilson rips into Gruber’s assertion. Between us—a phone call from me, and an email from Mark, coincidentally around the same time yesterday—we have comments from official body USB Implementers Forum that dispute the Apple invention claim. But, of course, confirmation can’t be true enough for the rumormongers because “informed little birdies”  told Gruber that USB-C is “an Apple invention and that they gave it to the standards bodies”. But, sssh, the company isn’t supposed to say, because of politics or something.

Whether or not Gruber is right—maybe he really has inside, hush-hush information—is immaterial. That so many blogs reported his statement as fact, without any further investigation, is the problem. Given Gruber’s longstanding unabashed Apple-loving ways, everything he claims about the company should be presumed propaganda until proven to be otherwise.

You C What?
My problems are two-fold. The first, as Mark right observes: “Repeat something enough, and people will eventually start to think it’s true. This is very much what has happened here”. Repeat they did. Among the many:

Now comes the second gripe: News gatherers who cite Gruber, based on a comment made during the The Talk Show podcast (jump to minute 54:03), violate The Prime Directive: “Write what you know to be true in the moment”. Everyone reporting that Apple invented USB-C, solely based on Gruber’s claim, doesn’t know whether or not that’s true. Those reporting only that he says so stand shaky but firmer.

USB-C didn’t fall out of the sky when Apple announced new MacBook eight days ago! The specification was years in progress before being finalized in second half 2014. The process is public, and well-documented. This zip file, which is easily found on the USB Implementers Forum website, contains the document that matters to anyone making cursory confirmation effort: USB Type-C Specification Release 1.0.pdf, which starting on page 10 lists the contributors. Apple is one. and there are 35 others

Posting three days ago, Gruber qualifies his earlier statement, acknowledging there are other contributors: “My comments on The Talk Show about Apple’s role in the creation of USB-C were somewhat hyperbolic..Not that they ‘invented’ it, but that they ‘basically invented’ it. I completely stand by that”. (For a link to Gruber’s clarification, and to the podcast, see Mark’s story.) BetaNews commenter easson interprets the qualification as “Translation: ‘I lied'”. I wouldn’t go that far, or any distance. I am not a mind reader, and don’t know Gruber’s intentions. But I do know he is an unarguable Apple enthusiast, which is reason enough not to singly source him.

With respect to that, to reiterate, I easily found the list of contributors, and a USB IF spokesperson directly told me that Apple did not donate the spec. It’s quite likely that Apple contributed something to the spec. The company is listed as a contributor for a reason. Specs like this typically have many contributors, for many reasons. Among them: Patents they hold related to the specs.

Question Everything
That’s what I know to be true based on my first-hand reporting. Whether or not that remains to be true is another matter. Maybe Gruber does have inside information. I don’t know and wouldn’t expect him to tell me on the record. But I do know this: It is totally irresponsible news reporting to assert something to be true for which you don’t have original sources. Reporting rumor as fact spreads misinformation. People see headlines and process them as fact.

And in the Internet consciousness, Apple invented USB-C.

Gruber’s intentions or the accuracy of his information are immaterial, at least to this post. Your responsibility as news gatherer is to question, to investigate, and to confirm. That’s what matters. Because when you fuck up, the foundation of the Fourth Estate—to serve the public interest—crumbles. You serve no one but yourself, particularly if your main objective is flipping pageviews.

There’s a difference when first-hand reporting is inaccurate, where your source is mistaken, or lies, or where with breaking news unfolding events change as more information is available. You did due diligence. By contrast, there is never any excuse for spreading misinformation, or untruths, because you failed to report—to do your job! Pick up the phone. Write an email. Open a chat window. Send a text. Or good God, Google! Surely you know how to type text in a search box!

If you can’t responsibly source, don’t write it. That’s the rule I follow, as should you.

Among the weekend warriors writing about Gruber’s claims, Seth Weintraub stands tall, with his 9to5Mac analysis: “Did Apple invent USB Type-C? Maybe a little bit“. With direct confirmation likely unavailable from USB IF over the weekend, or any other participant (particularly Intel), Seth scours documents as basis for writing a pretty good non-fiction mystery thriller. He doesn’t report Gruber’s statement as presumed fact. If only more bloggers, or even journalists, acted so responsibly.

One more thing: Should Apple respond to my request for comment, I will accordingly update this analysis.

Photo Credit: Jake Bellucci