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Kotaku explains how to leak informations to them

D

dex3108

Member
So Kotaku published new article today explaining how to leak them info securely and anonymously.

http://kotaku.com/how-to-share-info...m_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow

Is this ok? They wrote this in the article:

Here at Kotaku, we strive to cut through corporate nonsense and press releases to tell you real stories about the world of video games. In order to help us do that, we want people to be able talk to us securely and anonymously.
Click to expand...

In my opinion this is open call for devs and other game industry insiders to leak them stuff for trafic.
 
H

hawk2025

Member
Of course it's ok.

Excellent idea. It's up to the parties involved to craft contracts that will not leak, and it's up to the press to make the process of revealing information as simple and straightforward as possible.
 
B

Beelzebufo

Banned
I don't see a problem. I doubt it will work though, and if I was a company that had my info leaked through this I probably wouldn't give kotaku the time of day from then on.
 
O

OnionPowder

Member
There's nothing wrong with this. Being able to get a secure line to journalists without putting yourself at risk is a great thing. This doesn't always have to be used for "assassins creed 7 news check it". It can be used for insider views on the industry. Be it bad working environments or different insights into the development of a game that we wouldn't normally be seen because people are afraid to speak up.
 
E

E92 M3

Member
house%20of%20cards.jpg
 
L

LegendofDragoonLives

Member
dex3108 said:
So Kotaku published new article today explaining how to leak them info securely and anonymously.

http://kotaku.com/how-to-share-info...m_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow

Is this ok? They wrote this in the article:



In my opinion this is open call for devs and other game industry insiders to leak them stuff for trafic.
Click to expand...
That's their job, it is ok. It's not ok for snitch employers to leak information, which IMO should be sued and fired immediately once it happens.
 
F

Fireblend

Banned
Well, uh, yeah. All news outlets offer anonymous tip lines. I'm sure they had this in place already but they're just letting people know about it, or are improving the process in some way. It's nothing new.
 
P

Piers

Member
Ouren said:
Please send us leaks because we need page views. Thank you!
Click to expand...

Yup. The incentive is good, but the ulterior motive is more apparent.
If someone wanted to leak anything, they wouldn't need to be told how and who with anyway.
 
SerTapTap

SerTapTap

Member
Kinda how journalism works in all industries. Anonymous sources for exclusive scoops. Not really sure I'd say it's good or bad, but it's how things work and it's occasionally very interesting or important things to know.

Whistleblowing can be extremely important in areas like NSA/government abuse, games obviously aren't quite at that level of importance, but there can still be shady stuff that can't be non-anonymously addressed (in a safe manner for the source).

Mesoian said:
You say that jokingly, but I'm sure that, now this is publicized, that email is going to be filled to the brim with untrue bullshit and trolling.
Click to expand...

If they're sensible they'll do their best to validate whatever they get, a la GAF verifying (or banning) leakers depending on private evidence
 
I

iMax

Member
Nothing wrong with doing this.

It might get some heat from their PR reps throughout the industry but that energy's probably better spent on tightening internal security anyway.
 
M

MYeager

Member
dex3108 said:
So Kotaku published new article today explaining how to leak them info securely and anonymously.

http://kotaku.com/how-to-share-info...m_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow

Is this ok? They wrote this in the article:



In my opinion this is open call for devs and other game industry insiders to leak them stuff for trafic.
Click to expand...

This seems more of a mutually beneficial scenario. If a dev or someone else in the industry feels like there's a problem with treatment of employees or other if they want to respond to an article or assumption being made about their game/company and wants to shed light on the topic without worrying that it'll get them blacklisted from the industry they have a secure outlet, and for Kotaku gets hits for reporting on it. But since Kotaku and other game sites pretty much exist to get hits for discussion and reporting on the industry. That's pretty much the job description, ain't it?
 
D

dex3108

Member
If somebody wants to leak info it is their choice and they should find way to leak that info. Kotaku should not encourage them this way in my opinion.
 
S

SketchTheArtist

Member
Disgusting.

I'm all for uncovering bad practices but giving a call for people to get leaks of people's work and what they've been busting their asses for years to make to just have it spoiled for clicks is terrible. Kotaku is repulsive.
 
I

iMax

Member
Also, it's worth noting nearly every site out there already has a 'Tips' point of contact, so it's nothing new. They're just pointing out how it should be done securely to protect everyone involved, and make people more comfortable doing it.
 
L

Led_Zeppelin

Member
Isn't that how every other journalist/newspaper works? I may not agree with Kotaku on a lot of things but anonymity is essential for all sources of information. There is a lot of crap going on on the videogame industry currently so it is nice that someone at least is trying to break free of the chains of PR that turns every preview/review on most gaming sites just another part of the PR machine of most publishers.
 
M

Marcel

Member
SketchTheArtist said:
Disgusting.

I'm all for uncovering bad practices but giving a call for people to get leaks of people's work and what they've been busting their asses for years to make to just have it spoiled for clicks is terrible. Kotaku is repulsive.
Click to expand...

People leak shit to the press all the time dude. What world are you living in?
 
J

jschreier

Member
It's worth noting, as explained in the article itself (read it!), the point of this guide is not to get people to leak us unannounced games. We're way more interested in reporting real stories about, say, Crytek not paying its staff, or how LucasArts fell apart, or what really happened behind the scenes of Destiny. That's why we want to provide people with tips on contacting us securely and anonymously.
 
I

iMax

Member
SketchTheArtist said:
Disgusting.

I'm all for uncovering bad practices but giving a call for people to get leaks of people's work and what they've been busting their asses for years to make to just have it spoiled for clicks is terrible. Kotaku is repulsive.
Click to expand...

It's not Kotaku's fault. If someone's gonna leak, they're (depending on the company) in breach of contract—and likely don't really hold a place in the team culture. The rest of the team (that you're referring to) probably want people like that gone anyway.
 
B

Broken Joystick

At least you can talk. Who are you?
Kotaku's job is to report about the video game industry.

If this makes it easier for all parties involved to do so, then it's alright in my books.
 
J

jschreier

Member
SketchTheArtist said:
Disgusting.

I'm all for uncovering bad practices but giving a call for people to get leaks of people's work and what they've been busting their asses for years to make to just have it spoiled for clicks is terrible. Kotaku is repulsive.
Click to expand...
Given that you didn't even read the article before writing this, feel free to apologize for calling me "repulsive" whenever you'd like. If you do read the article, you can learn how to do it securely and anonymously.
 
G

Geek

Ninny Prancer
How dare this website attempt to get traffic

It's like all they care about is readership and page views on stories that might be of interest to people while also protecting their sources
 
M

Marcel

Member
It's funny to see all the "why u gota leak" mentality when some real important dialogue was had as a result of a leak to the press. Something about prisms and telephones or something, I think?
 
L

LyleLanley

Banned
SketchTheArtist said:
Disgusting.

I'm all for uncovering bad practices but giving a call for people to get leaks of people's work and what they've been busting their asses for years to make to just have it spoiled for clicks is terrible. Kotaku is repulsive.
Click to expand...

I imagine the point of this isn't to leak games in development but instead to find out what is going on in some studios when things seem to awry. *Cough* What the hell happened to Destiny? *Cough*
 
J

Jb

Member
Hey guys, There's not a lot of stuff coming out or big controversies at the moment. If you could help us reach our quotas that'd be great, thx!
 
A

ArkhamFantasy

Member
Leaking bad behavior or something is great, leaking a game that the developer and publisher arent ready to show doesnt help anyone (other than the site that gets the views).

You are just stressing out the devs even more and making a hard job even harder.
 
F

flkraven

Member
jschreier said:
Given that you didn't even read the article before writing this, feel free to apologize for calling me "repulsive" whenever you'd like. If you do read the article, you can learn how to do it securely and anonymously.
Click to expand...

Boom, roasted.

side note: I'd love to hear the real story behind Destiny.
 
Haunted

Haunted

Member
With Schreier, Totilo and Klepek there, I'm looking forward to reading their breaking stories linked here on GAF.
 
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