The leak: CSI needed

[Racing Truth]

Dunno where it belongs, but I thought it deserved its own thread. Who, was the ****** who leaked the merge story to Autoweek? Autosport claims it was from the IRL offices, but if so, WHO? More importantly, WHY? Is it someone doing this on behalf of TG to spoil it? But does that seem plausible? Is it a rogue thinking themselves saviors of IMS?

As I see it, other possibilities include Floyd and Rahal (mostly b/c they're dumb enough and might need it to attract sponsors), and outside possibility, Gentilozzi (God knows he's dumb enough).

Whoever it is: FU :flame:

[mueber]

Chill man.

A merger, if it happens, will not solve the problem and, because Boy George is involved, will not last long. We have a long way to go.

[jonovision_man]

According to someone on TF who read something by MarkC, Autosport has revised their story to remove any reference to the IRL being the source of the leak...

... which either means it's untrue or Autoweek doesn't want them spilling the beans on their sources.

I'm not sure what effect the "leak" had. It'd be interesting to be a fly on the wall in either side's offices these days. The problem with a leak is that all the stakeholders will want to get their two cents in so their interests are covered in any merger, which could complicate things... but that assumes there was enough goodwill to get it done in the first place.

jono

[extramundane]

According to someone on TF who read something by MarkC

Two wrongs don't make a right.

[Gomerbilly]

Autosport did indeed remove the IRL fax reference. Interesting.

[Andrew Longman]

the nature of leaks is as often as not about maintaining a relationship with a reporter and/or stroking one's own ego.

Yes it is also sometimes calculated to counter "the boss", or advance an agenda, but not always.

My guess is that someone thought it would actually help by stirring up some enthusiasm and wanted to be out in front with it with their media friends. After all it couldn't be a secret for long that KK and TG were "seeing each other". These weren't clandestine midnight meetings in a parking garage.

[NismoZ]

I recall a recent "news" leak a lot more upsetting than this one. MINERS FOUND ALIVE! Actual headlines. The print media has proven many times over that it's more important to be first than accurate. The same thing is even more prevalent on the internet. With no regard to who it might effect stories are just thrown out for consumption. It has always been our responsibility to carefully sift through them, and come to our own conclusions. It is the "Oh well" attitude of managing editors that I find difficult to understand. In my area there was no appology for the coal mine disaster story, just a passing of the buck to the AP news service and a warning to the reader to "read more carefully and you would have noticed the source of the RUMOR was from family members who were under great stress and SOMEONE who had come into the church and said the men had been found alive." Great, thanks for the info, like the average newspaper reader is going to find that in column 2, line 34 when your 2 inch headline screams MINERS FOUND ALIVE! I don't think the news service told you which headline to run. After all, the free press is also a business.

[Steve99]

If there were a merger, how many IRL staffers do you think would still have a job when all was said and done? One of them probably leaked it because if the merger never happens they can continue to be paid for their incompetence.

[formulaben]

The print media has proven many times over that it's more important to be first than accurate.
...
After all, the free press is also a business.

Which is why Autoweak doesn't get a dime from me anymore, among others. (*cough*Racer*cough*) They let their politics control their pen, and as a consumer I can only vote with my wallet; I'm rewarding print media that does otherwise...

[Racing Truth]

If there were a merger, how many IRL staffers do you think would still have a job when all was said and done? One of them probably leaked it because if the merger never happens they can continue to be paid for their incompetence.

Yeah good point, though the same could be said for minions on both sides. Some would have to go I should think.

[Steve99]

I think the IRL has shown that it has more incompetent minions, starting right at the top.