Controversial anti-Wii blogger sparks outrage
Without doubt Jonathan Schlaffer is one of the more controversial writers on the BLORGE network. In the past he’s upset Ubuntu/Linux fans, Mac fans and even Windows Vista fans with his take-no-prisoner, take-it-or-leave-it commentary and opinion.
Now I know that some of you might think that Jonathan is perhaps being deliberately provocative. But, anyone who actually knows Jonathan will know that he is one of life’s true hard heads. What you see in Jonathan’s posts is the real deal, he’s actually every bit as contentious and controversial in real life as he is in his posts.
Not surprisingly, it’s not uncommon for Jonathan to receive some quite nasty comments. However, recently, I receive an email from a reader Kyle Hanson that really called for some radical action:
May I ask how this “writer” continually has articles published on your website? He is incompetent and decides to stick his woefully ignorant opinion in whenever the opportunity arises. His statements have slipped from mildly amusing to hilariously offensive. If he is allowed to continue unchecked I fear that your site will lose all credibility and you will begin to lose readership as well.
P.S. I am referring specifically to his posts on the gamer side of the site
As publisher, I take all complaints very seriously, especially a complaint such as this, which is effectively asking for the removal of one of my writers. Kyle clearly wants Jonathan sacked!
Upon receiving this complaint I pressed Kyle for further information, who then presented these examples of where Jonathan has been willfully unfair in his coverage of Nintendo’s Wii.
The following quotes are from four of Jonathan’s recent articles. There are almost certainly more to be found in his previous ones.
Exhibit 1
“He pretty much ended with saying that PS3 games are more fun, no doubt there as you can actually make out the environment you are in and what your objective/target is.”
This takes a quote and adds Jonathan’s opinion to it, and what an opinion it is!
“But, inexperienced gamers gravitate towards the Wii.”
source: http://gamer.blorge.com/2007/12/14/analyst-ps3-still-has-a-long-way-to-catch-up-with-wii/
Exhibit 2
“Either way, the Xbox 360 is the champion of Google searches and the Wii will be relegated to second place, if only the same became true for sales.”
Exhibit 3
“Nintendo has had a year to sort these supply problems out and if it hasn’t fixed them by now then they never will be which means something is wrong in the company. I for one find that hard to believe, while it’s not completely outside the realm of possibility, perhaps just perhaps, the company isn’t being completely honest about not creating the artificial demand.”
This came at the very end of an article discussing Nintendo’s denial that the shortage is artificial. He presents the facts and then totally negates them by sticking his ill-informed opinion in at the end.
Exhibit 4
“Unlike every other company on the planet, Nintendo does not take preorders for the system so it’s first come first serve and if you want a Wii you may still have a few options this holiday season.”
Every other company on the planet has units on the shelf. And Neither Microsoft or Sony took preorders for their systems once they were released, just like Nintendo is doing.
source: http://gamer.blorge.com/2007/11/26/amazon-sells-1400-wiis-in-10-minutes-limits-purchases/
Now, granted, it was an opinion piece so it is perfectly fine for him to state his opinion there, but it is just so stupid. He basically says that the fastest selling system of all time was a mistake because he doesn’t like it. It just makes the entire site look anti-Nintendo as a whole.
While I understand Kyle’s anger at Jonathan’s bias, and after careful consideration, I’ve decided not to sack Jonathan.
While I personally may not agree with Jonathan’s controversial opinions, I don’t feel it’s right to censor him, or to remove him from the team. After all, I’m sure there are people who do agree with Jonathan. Having said that it is important that our readers know that GAMER.BLORGE is not biased again the Wii, even if some its writers are.
We are about to appoint a new dedicated writer for GAMER.BLORGE to, James Walker, who will no doubt bring more balance. Also, I’ve invited Kyle to submit some stories to GAMER, and I’m sure Kyle will present a more pro-Wii view of the world.
I will be monitoring this situation carefully, as I view allegations of bias very seriously, and I do welcome further input from our readers on this matter. I can be contacted at john@blorge.com.
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7 Responses to “Controversial anti-Wii blogger sparks outrage”
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December 19th, 2007
A poor choice, removal of a bothersome, lying rotten sod like Johnathan would be a good thing for the site, though it would remove the sensationalism from the site to a degree, it would make the site more worthy of visitation, as it is, most everything the child says is insulting.
December 19th, 2007
It seems, though, that this site should give news–just news. We probably wouldn’t have these problems if NOBODY–not just Jonathan–made comments at which console was doing better, who should be losing, etc.
I couldn’t care one way or the other who likes which console. Headlines like “XBox 360 is the most reasearched on Google”, “PS3 outsold Wii in Japan,” “Wii is the fastest selling console”, “Is the PS3 the best?” are great headlines and comments. But things like “PS3 and XBox will ultimately win”, “Go Microsoft!”, “Much to my dismay”, “Wii is the best” are just asking for trouble.
With the exception of articles that this site gets paid to write, maybe we can see some improvement in articles.
December 19th, 2007
Remba,
“With the exception of articles that this site gets paid to write.”
I’d like to know what you meant by that. If you meant that Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo, one, some or all are paying us to write particular posts, we don’t get paid by anyone to write a “slanted” article.
All the articles written for GAMER and the other BLORGE network of sites are free from outside influence.
If you have any doubts about that, you can contact John Pospisil at john@blorge.com
December 20th, 2007
I thought Jonathan Schlaffer was fired… It’s been awhile since I’ve read something Anti-Wii… As for actually firing him… Well, Blorge could make more money on Voodoo Dolls of him instead.
December 20th, 2007
Well, I never said I wanted him to be fired. I merely said that he should not be allowed to continue “unchecked”.
While I understand and appreciate the decision to not censor, I wonder about the justification. That there are “some who agree” with Jonathan is no reason to allow him to publish his opinion without any kind of oversight. To give an extreme example that is in no way meant to be a comparison, there were many who agreed with Hitler, and there were many who agreed with the slavers of the 19th century. While I agree with the principle of free speech and thus would not condemn them for their opinion, I would also not give them the resources to present that opinion to a larger audience.
Also, I do not aim to provide a more pro-Wii mindset, rather I would like to present things in an unbiased manner and allow the reader to decide. We’ll see if I am successful in this aim.
December 23rd, 2007
Normally I don’t believe in name calling and such, as it seems only to lower my intelligence and credibility of what I have to say, but it is only appropriate for the 360 whore that is Jonathan Schlaffer. The sacking of that douche bag would be the best thing that can happen to this site. Aside from the Wii bashing, this guy talks as if he’s the authoritative figure of PS3 and XBOX360 hardcore gamers. For example, “… every PS3 and Xbox 360 owner on the planet because it is impossible for us to understand the attraction to the Wii.” EVERY PS3 XBOX360 owner on the planet? and impossible for “us”?? The douche with a lame blog speaks on behalf of all the PS3 and Xbox360 owners out there like this guy is god.
Lol for me this site has already lost all credibilities already. I’m only here cuz this topic caught my eye.
February 18th, 2008
Don’t fire him….he’s right…the WII sucks and Nintendo needs to suffer the consequenseces for catering to the kiddie market and pushing sloppy shoddy, control gimmicks on the gaming population.