Confession time: In my wildest moments, I even thought CEP News might be a spy shop.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
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33 comments:
Kiss of death = Writeup on Ann Brocklehurst's blog.
You really need to hang with a better crowd.
How about I buy you a drink? Name the date and place. Then tell the bartender you're looking for Dirty Martini.
You must be thrilled.
It is all over - proves you right. Canada's "most established" source of news folded despite telling people as early as four weeks ago that all was healthy. I have been slagging you off, calling you nasty & vindictive for having a pop at an honest start-up - you have been proved right! Credibility and content is everything in the news business...it deteriorated when they shut DC & London and then Ottawa where two former Sun reporters were doing a decent job. Rest of their stuff was all garbled. I EAT A HUMBLE PIE AB.
Maybe the spies suddenly decided setting up a banana company would be easier than managing a media start-up!! Anything's possible these days - dont know what to believe...or blame!
Gone indeed...but not in 60 seconds...!
JRB
To Anonymous in the number 2 spot:
No, I am bot thrilled. I still don't know what CEP news was all about it and why it was create other than it wasn't for the stated purposes.
Also, I feel for any honest person who loses their job in this economy.
On the silver-lining front, though, maybe people will start offering up some useful clues.
Dog Twitterer are you braced for hate mail?
When I worked at the Washington bureau, I could never get a straight answer from anyone in management, or my colleagues in Montreal, about where the money was coming from to fund operations, or how much money there was backing the venture, or who was funding the venture, or how much money we earned from selling our product (nothing it turns out).
The company's secrecy is why the Senate Press Gallery would not grant the Washington bureau permanent credentials.
Now that they're gone, I still wonder what it was all about.
You are not the only one wondering what happened to Canada's "Most established" source of news.
Maybe these conspiracy theories are a bit over the top and Marco & Co managed to convince some idiotic VC funding guys into pumping money in their idea...just a thought!
Hey, most recent Anonymous,you are right about conspiracy theories spiralling out of control.
Idiotic VC is indeed a good possible explanation. In fact it's exactly the one I espoused in the case of Geosign (see archives) when everyone told me that the VC would surely have done its due diligence. One financial crisis later, I think we can say that was pretty wishful thinking.
Still, I just don't think dumb VC is the explanation here. At the very least, it would have to be dumbest VC ever. After all, Geosign had revenues of $10 million per month.
Anyway, thanks for your comment. Dissent is always welcome and so is any info. anyone might have on the mysterious VC.
Nobody ever got straight answers from Marco & Co - those of us who worked for CEP & those on the outside like this blogger. Still that neither makes CEP crooked nor quite lays to rest the question mark that they weren't. Like the Anon post said a couple of posts ago - "what was it all about?" Beats me, still I packed when they were still in business.
One other thing - honestly guys/girls who actually had the bottle to ask Marco about what the actual business model or revenue model was - lets face it, we were happy to get paid. It started and ended there.
Problem now Ann is that you have poisoned any opportunity that any young reporter who worked at CEP News might have from getting another job. What if putting CEP News on your CV results in the propective employer doing a Google search? Landing at your blog, casting a shadow over CEP's operations, will no doubt put into question the integrity of the applicant. Shame on you Ann. Being a forex trader in New Zealand, I found CEP's service quite unique. Obviously you never subscribed to any of their services to find out for yourself.
Don't shoot the messenger, "New Zealand Forex Trader."
If CEP News was not legit, its employees should have had the reportorial chops to pick up on it and investigate. They would have had a good story with which to impress future potential employers.
If it was legit (which I don't believe for a second) all ex-employees have to tell future prospective employers who have read this blog, is: "Yes, there were a lot of wild conspiracy theories floating around, but it really was a straight-up news agency. The timing was terrible, however, and unfortunately it folded."
P.S. Whould I short the CAD today?
What made a New Zealand forex trader subscribe to CEP News, just curious?
Also, hope CEP staffers kept copies of their work. If it stands out, that separates the best from the rest!
The New Zealand commentator is right. I am was proud to work there and now I am embarrased to put it on my resume because of this site. Since you have absolutely no evidence that CEP was legit or not you should not have set up this site. Especially since former students of your worked there. Shame on you.
Look, it's this simple: If this site is right, then you shouldn't have been proud to work there and your instincts aren't the best. You may be better suited to another line of work.
If this site is wrong, then, really, who cares? Prospective employers won't, I can assure you of that. Just use the explanation I gave above: Bad timing despite what the conspiracy nutters like AB say.
Also, why, if CEP News was legit, did they expunge all trace of the company from the web? Why not just close down and put up a notice?Instead they cleared the Google cache and the Wayback machine. What gives?
Do you think it's free to keep a website up?
Yeah, there are a number of avenues available in theory to set-up a website free or at minimal cost!
But who would administer it? There is no company anymore? It would an unnecessary waste of time.
Do any former CEP employees have irrefutable proof that the company “was” legit?? If so kindly present it. We have had people here pretending to be anything from CEP employees to New Zealand traders going with the common theme of "Shame on you Ann".
What for? Shame on you for being such dim-witted people who take things at face value! In this climate a number of companies in the publishing world have gone under with due notice - not disappeared without a trace or rather by removing all trace!
Even as a CEP employee, I agree with what is being probed here and have the luxury to agree because I have my portfolio of work before CEP, with CEP and after CEP. They didn't give me my pen or my talent! In fact knowing that Marco Gomez never gave straight answers I left at the right time! The only question I asked was a simple one – what makes CEP tick and what is the business model? IS IT THAT HARD TO TELL THAT TO A COMPANY JUNIOR WHO HAS SIGNED A CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT????
Had such straight answers been given to this blogger we wouldn’t be here or at list this blog would not have been! I have read archived posts – it seems Paula has been avoiding this blogger’s questions right from the time Washington DC and London offices were shuttered in April/May 2008. Something’s not right here.
Furthermore, if you are looking for work put CEP News with confidence on your CV. It’s the work that you have done for them that will make or break your reputation - make people read it. Whether this blog exposes something or turns out to be off-track nonsense; it's not what you’re about as a journalist…or is it?
Do you need to "administer" a plain closure notice/e-notice?? Jesus christ pal :-) You really are a tech-whiz kid!
You know how selfish are we all in Montreal? Did we come here to express indignation when DC office was closed? Did we come here when the London office was closed? Did we finally think now's the time to take this blogger to task when Ottawa or Frankfurt went too.....No! But the hammer has hit us now hasn't it...so all whats here is blasphemy!
Suddenly we're all "Joan of Arc(s)" and the one blogger asking fundamental questions on which our livelihoods once depended is now "Attila the Hun."
Sigh....human nature....mine including! Ann please accept my apologies - though I must say some us know precious little because asking questions meant inviting trouble!
Actually, Anonymous, who thinks a website is an onerous expense, the Wayback Machine is free, as in zero cents, and you have to take special steps to remove yourself from it, which CEP did.
Also, a one-page notice on what had become of CEP News would cost perhaps $15 a month.
Now, considering you're blaming me for ex-CEPers' potentially dismal job prospects,I can't help but wonder why you are so eager to absolve your former employer of any responsibility whatsoever.
Many websites live on in cyberspace as a testament to what once was. You would think that the CEP gang would want people to see their handiwork, wouldn't you? So why do you suppose they're hiding it? Because they had millions to spend on a 10th-rate news agency but not even $1,000 to keep a website up.
Does not compute.
Now that CEP has disappeared all content of the website, it's impossible to place links to articles you've written for Canada's premier online news site in email to future employers.
Unless you had the forsight to save copies of your work, you're pretty much screwed.
What you say is true, indeed the website is gone and ex-employees who relied on it for proof of work are screwed. I started saving selected - not all - copies of my work when Marco shuttered the London office. Kinda felt it was only a matter of time :-(...I am presently making PDFs of them at home.
So have about 10-15 to show if asked. Also if asked about this blog, I'd say I wasn't management, which is true! People at DexTV adopted a similar and true stance. Some, not all, have limped back to normalcy & jobs! Have faith...if you did no wrong, then you have nothing to fear as this blogger says.
Hope you kept copies!
CEP may have gone but their numbered corporate entry - i.e.
6512160 CANADA INC
Is still very much there, does this mean that all is not kaput??
If CEP employees are concerned about their work getting noticed, google your name; I'm sure that you find something. I have. Many of the articles still exist on other websites that were taken from CEP news.
I was trying to find out what happened to CEP News and found it with the Wayback machine. (Last issue shown was Feb 01,2009). Why is one post saying that it was cleared out of Wayback?
Hmm, I just checked the Wayback Machine and the last post I get is February 2008. You are indeed right that they haven't been completely cleared out. and it's probably not wise for me to make statements about what is and isn't in the Wayback Machine as it's a bit wonky at the best of times.
I stand corrected.
Everyone keeps referring to "Marco & Co." - is this Marco Gomez & Co.?
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