“On a day when mainstream media cluelessness was one of
Slashdot’s hottest topics, Red Hat unveiled an experiment in
open source journalism called Wide Open News. Under the stewardship
of Russ Mitchell, Wide Open News is owned by Red Hat, but swears by
the same standards of fair, accurate, independent journalism as any
other publication. “Red Hat will be covered just like we’d
cover anybody else,” writes Mitchell. “We’ll report the good, the
bad, and the ugly, and we’ll give it to you straight.”
“It’s no longer surprising to see companies like Red Hat, VA
Linux, and O’Reilly bankrolling software development with no
obvious payback beyond the common good. But content is another
matter. Maybe we’re too suspicious and cynical for our own good,
but the idea that Red Hat or any other company would pay for the
privilege of being treated just like everybody else seems, well,
counterintuitive. If Red Hat’s funding it, how independent could it
be? Furthermore, who’s Russ Mitchell, and what makes him think he
can stand up to the people who buy his lunch?”