Erik Wemple of the Washington Post writes about how The Wall Street Journal scored an exclusive interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook while the tech company shuts out rival business journalists at The New York Times.
Wemple writes, “Says a source at the Times: ‘They are playing access journalism…I’ve heard it from people inside Apple: They said, look, you guys are going to get less access based on the iEconomy series.’
“The on-the-record word from the New York Times differs only slightly from the not-for-attribution word: ‘We’re never happy with our access to Apple. We never have been. Apple is a difficult company to report on,’ says Damon Darlin, the paper’s tech editor. When asked how big a deal is the Journal’s exclusive with Cook, Darlin responds: ‘Talking to the CEO of one of the largest technology companies, the highest-valued company of the world? Yes, we would like to do that. They know that.’
“Says Larry Ingrassia, the editor who has supervised the iEconomy series: ‘We talk to them all the time. If you want to put more detail on who they talk to and about what and who they give interviews to and why, it’s best to talk to Apple.’ Done! But Apple hasn’t responded to requests for comment on this matter.
“This afternoon, New York Times tech reviewer David Pogue posted a review of the new stuff. It’s a solid piece of work. But it carries no quotes from a guy trying to wax visionary like his predecessor. And it hit the web late.”
Read more here.
