Dept. of You *Are* Kidding, Right?

[kaffyr]

 Pop Quiz

Say you're a professional journalist, one who makes her living by writing stories and taking notes. That's what you do, using your fingers to type all day, using your computer to do research, popping back and forth between screens full of interview notes, web research and the story that you have underway.

Say your company gives you an iPad that you didn't ask for. Say the iPad doesn't easily allow you to switch screens, not unless you can find and use a clunky app. Say it doesn't easily connect to the editorial copy system that your company uses. Say that the keyboard options you have for the iPad are a small rubberized one that your company issued to you, or the electronic one that appears on the screen, shrinking the available screen size even more.

Then say your company issues an edict that you have to return the Macbook laptop it issued you several years ago, which has a keyboard large enough to do regular typing, and a screen and operating system that provides for multiple screens, ease of connectivity to the editorial copy system, etc. etc., yada-yada.

Say company honchos tell you that from now on you have to do all your writing on the iPad. That's not "in an emergency while on the road." That's not "an occasional story." That's forever. No actual computer, like the big kids have. 

Poll #13334 A Measured Response to Journalistic iPad Mandates

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16

View Respondents

After a minute's thought

View Answers

No.
3 (18.8%)

No, really. No
6 (37.5%)

Are you kidding?
6 (37.5%)

Hell, no!
7 (43.8%)

Here's your iPad back.
11 (68.8%)

After further deliberations

View Answers

No.
5 (33.3%)

Still no.
8 (53.3%)

It's not happening.
7 (46.7%)

I've filed a grievance.
9 (60.0%)

You, sir, are an idiot.
11 (73.3%)

Comments

[maruad.livejournal.com]

Confirm about the security thing with someone who knows something before you make an issue of it. I am notorious for getting things like that wrong and I wouldn't want you to lose credibility by taking my opinion on it too seriously.

[kaffyr]

Oh, don't worry; I've probably lost all credibility with these folks for other reasons. Heh. But I take your point.