cooks source magazine beaten into submission by the internet

[mkultra]

They have finally buckled and posted an apology on their website. Here is the time-line as best i know it. I have followed it pretty much from the beginning.

Cooks source mag(local free mag in NE) lifts a recipe from a blog and prints it without permission.
blogger's friend sees mag, tells blogger
blogger sends email asking for apology and donation to Columbia School of Journalism in lieu of payment.
Judith Griggs, editor of Cooks Source Magazine(CSM) replys by telling blogger that:

The internet is Public Domain

She had to edit her piece anyway(not realizing it was in middle English for a reason)

She should be thankful

She might consider paying them for the editing

Blogger posts email to blog
internet firestorm erupts
people "like" CSM's facebook page and lambaste them.
CSM posts snarky response on FB
Firestorm gathers strength
CSM fumbles management of its FB site and cant get it under control
People flood CSM's FB page with memes inserting CSM as the villain such as:

cooks source faked the moon landings

Crooks Source keeps it's thumb on the scale, even as you glare with obvious malice.

Cooks Source touches all the paintings in the museum.

cooks source married Eva Braun and committed suicide

people start calling CSM's advertisers and complaining.
Story is all over internet news.
ALL advertisers claim too bail on CSM.
CSM thinks its FB page is being "hacked." warns posters that they will be reported.
Fake CSM FB pages and ANTI-CSM facebook pages pop up.
Story Goes international.
somebody sends message to CSM and offers to help them with their "hackers"
said somebody changes all admin passwords and takes over CSM's facebook page(actual hack).
CSM's facebook page becomes shrine to CSM's douchebaggery.
CSM finally caves and claims to have submitted to all of the requests on its main webpage http://www.cookssource.com/index.html
internet rejoices.

[bluedigger]

1. You forgot to add...

...and they all lived happily forever after...

[blogslut]

2. Pretty lousy "apology"

Passive aggressive as hell.

[BlueIris]

Yeah, the text of the non-apology for stealing the recipes is priceless.

I can't belive CS thought the Internets were "public domain."

[mkultra]

6. honestly, i think it was the "apology" that sparked the outrage

Not so much that she said the internet was public domain as much as her saying that the blogger should pay HER.


Full text of reply:


But honestly Monica, the web is considered "public domain" and you should be happy we just didn't "lift" your whole article and put someone else's name on it! It happens a lot, clearly more than you are aware of, especially on college campuses, and the workplace. If you took offence and are unhappy, I am sorry, but you as a professional should know that the article we used written by you was in very bad need of editing, and is much better now than was originally. Now it will work well for your portfolio. For that reason, I have a bit of a difficult time with your requests for monetary gain, albeit for such a fine (and very wealthy!) institution. We put some time into rewrites, you should compensate me! I never charge young writers for advice or rewriting poorly written pieces, and have many who write for me... ALWAYS for free!"

[BlueIris]

4. Self-delete.

Server hates me.

[rug]

3. Wow, I thought the Lounge could be vicious.

[tigereye]

5. a friend of mine who knows the original writer whose recipe was uncredited

has been following this in voluminous detail. Yikes.

[mkultra]

7. does he have it outlined somewhere?

[tigereye]

8. hmm, probably - it was a she, but..

I'll take a look around. Probably not hard to find given the huge dust-up, though.