VideoCardz and Slimeball Journalism
Posted by BlueGoliath@reddit | hardware | View on Reddit | 31 comments
This is just a (small) PSA: please don't support slimeball hardware related publications / journalists.
Recently I broke first here that Nvidia was going to drop support for Maxwell, Pascal, and Volta GPUs here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1lopxnc/nvidia_is_ending_support_for_maxwell_pascal_and/
This was just a little over two hours(according to the Nvidia developer forum date indicator) after Nvidia made the announcement. I noticed it while reading the Linux GPU driver forum completely by chance. A few hours later, VideoCardz published an article here:
https://archive.is/I4x4f#selection-1537.27-1537.35
You may be asking: "So? Anyone could have found that post. It's a public forum!". Unfortunately, it's crystal clear that they originally gotten the information from my post:
- Conflicting, nonsensical information:
In their article they state:
NVIDIA has officially confirmed that the next major driver branch (580) will be the last to support three GPU architectures, affecting several GeForce and professional products.
Starting with version 580 (currently at 576.80), NVIDIA will no longer support Maxwell-based cards (GeForce GTX 700, GTX 900) and Pascal-based GTX 10 series. The list also includes the TITAN V, a limited release and the only consumer-oriented GPU based on the Volta architecture.
The first sentence conflicts with the first. The 580 driver cannot both support the 580 driver(first sentence) and not(second two sentences). This is presumably because of my title, which I admitted was a mistake here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1lopxnc/comment/n0otxx1/?context=3
To be crystal clear, the 580 series will be the last driver branch to support those generations. It was my mistake. The point is, this is makes zero sense and is garbage journalism.
- Repeating questions / answers asked/answered in my Reddit thread:
While the update refers to UNIX systems, the driver branches are shared across both Windows and UNIX-based platforms.
First off, who normally refers to Linux support as Unix? Yes Nvidia technically supports BSD but no one really cares(sorry BSD people). Anyway, this is clearly information from this exchange:
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/1lopxnc/comment/n0ou3j3/?context=3
It's bad enough to regurgitate what other people have said and pass it off as if you said it, but it's especially bad when you don't know what you're copy/pasting and it comes from places like Reddit.
...
I could care less about fake internet points(it's Reddit, lmao). The point of this post is to bring awareness to crappy journalism vomited out in order to drive site traffic. The opinions and information they vomit out is not theirs and it doesn't even make sense. You just know that B-tier normally rumor-mill YouTubers who make clickbait thumbnails and titles are going to cover this and they're going to use the trashy VideoCardz article. Please, if you're reading this, don't support this bad journalism from any publication or YouTuber.
BlueGoliath@reddit (OP)
Techpowerup: https://archive.ph/YyfHK
As predicted, publications are already citing the VideoCardz article.
Guru3D: https://archive.is/tHCeV
Outright claiming they are the ones that found the info. Nice.
A little cherry on top:
inspire2rise: https://archive.ph/TaHny
"reported by sources" eh?
SmileyBMM@reddit
Wikipedia is a big reason this happens btw. They only allow "trusted sources" so there's this whole feedback loop of people encouraging those trusted sources to copy other sources in this weird cyclical system so it can be made legitimate. The best solution is to just ignore all these sources and never give them the time of day.
Strazdas1@reddit
Wikipedia has a strick policy of secondary sources. this means that both primary sources and tertiary sources (metaanalysis) is not allowed except in extreme circumstances. This sets wikipedia up for maximum bias possible.
JuanElMinero@reddit
Straight from the Wikipedia guide.
On primary sources:
On tertiary sources:
Doesn't look like 'extreme circumstances' to me. Just a different set of precautions regarding primary/tertiary sources.
Strazdas1@reddit
I suggest reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources
As well as some arbitration discussions/decisions regarding sourcing reliability. The rabbit hole goes a lot deeper.
If you want to continue this discussion i suggest we go to private messages though, this isnt the right sub.
JuanElMinero@reddit
Yeah, probably right about this being off topic. I don't want to carry this much further, but I'll check your link later.
Strazdas1@reddit
Congratulations on learning what it feels like to be primary source :)
AC1colossus@reddit
> first sentence conflicts with the first
OP, be upset if you want, and I'm not going to decry this brand of watchdog post, but I do find it legitimately funny that you've posted an unproofread slam of an unproofread repost of a reddit discussion
TophxSmash@reddit
isnt that the point though? the source doesnt have to have standards, the journalists should.
bobloadmire@reddit
It should if you're critiquing them.
Gloriathewitch@reddit
they should at the very least quote their sources otherwise it's plagiarism
Gloriathewitch@reddit
videocardz.net slammed!!
jerryfrz@reddit
Just saw a guy fell to his knees in a Microcenter
BlueGoliath@reddit (OP)
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
exomachina@reddit
Videocardz is the TMZ of hardware news. This isn't some new revelation. Don't blame them, blame yourselves for continuously falling for newsbait. Nobody knows how to consume journalism anymore. You all prop up these writers and blogs up because you think they're some special class of people who's only motivation is exposing the big bad capitalist anti consumer corporations. You're wrong. They only care about clicks and money.
brand_momentum@reddit
99% of these hardware websites aren't even real journalists, it's an insult to even call it journalism.
Gloriathewitch@reddit
yeah they just consolidate info for the most part
jocnews@reddit
I think the issue is purely that not everyone realises it when people consider social media posting/linking to be a kind of strongly original work that should not be treated just as a pointer or via to the original source that is nice to mention but not mandatory to, as opposed to disclosing the root source.
I'm pretty sure VideoCardz' reasons were something like that and not a nefarious scheme to steal your fame, so "slimebag" and calls for boycott are a bit much IMHO. Author's usually aren't concerned about disclosing the news is not an original scoop but something others helped them notice, from my experience. We usually mention who pointed out various stuff that was not obviously apparent to whole internet because everyone checks out places where it got posted at. Sometimes it feels like the "via" was of that sort while the one who provided that via disagrees. Sometimes people forgot/don't pay attention. Malice or conscious attempt to steal the credit? Unlikely.
If it is important for you to be quoted and given credit, perhaps mention it next time?
jerryfrz@reddit
BTW I'm 99% sure that someone will inevitably post the Videocardz article here without checking the subreddit first, then the mods will approve it and then there will be two threads about the same thing on the front page.
Impossible_Jump_754@reddit
You could replace videocardz with reddit and it would still fit.
MrMuggs@reddit
There is a reddit post and then someone "writes" an article about that post with finally that article is posted to reddit. This is the circle of life.
Also add that most of the redditors only read the title and then go to post about said title.
capybooya@reddit
If it refers to a user with a specific experience or discovery, that's technically 'news' at least. Provided they source it properly of course. I don't mind the news aggregator sites for hardware news/rumors/fluff per se.
What I do mind more are the slipping standards for doing a minimum of fact checking and sourcing, and the platforming of certain bottom barrel 'leakers' (more like 'influencers') who have years of history of outright lies and fabrications. We don't need D-list celebrity clout chasers, shit stirrers, and compulsive liars in this community.
No_Sheepherder_1855@reddit
I still like the website, it’s a better aggregator than this one at times.
CataclysmZA@reddit
Those are all that remain today.
BlueGoliath@reddit (OP)
https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/1loyqux/driver_branch_580_is_the_last_branch_to_support/
In case anyone was wondering, I was the one who told him it was inaccurate. You can't see that though. Karma farming like he's some high IQ guy when he's going off of what I told him.
riklaunim@reddit
I saw like yesterday a news stating Zen 6 will reach 7 GHz. All "outlets" rehashing a video from an obvious person.
RedTuesdayMusic@reddit
Don't accuse blogs of "journalism"
AK-Brian@reddit
A minor point in your very justified criticism of circular reporting:
This is more likely due to the title of the main Nvidia thread being "Unix graphics feature deprecation schedule."
mduell@reddit
Re number 2, that’s probably because I chose to say Unix in my comment, since the Nvidia forum did mention non-Linux unixes.
BlueGoliath@reddit (OP)
Yep, like BSD.
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