Hikvision Pays For Trade Mag Editors China Trip
Published Oct 29, 2015 04:00 AM
Hikvision paid for a group of 10 North American trade magazine 'editors' trip to Hikvision's China headquarters, showing the company's growing sophistication and the trade press' continued flouting of journalistic ethics.
Here is an image from the trip of the various editors assembled, smiling:
********* ******** *** **** "** * part ** *** ************ ** *** company *** *** ******** *** **********."
******* *** **** ****, *** *** of *** ******* *** *********.***** ******, * ****-******** ****** ** ***** *** ***** from *************, ********** ***** *** **** ********* trip:
** ******** ** *********, ** ******* that **** **** **** *** ***** tickets.
Journalist ******
************ ****** *** ****** ***** ******* to *** **** **** **** ***** and *****, ** ** ***** **** is ******* (***** ** *** ** paying) *** *** *** ******** ** covered (***** *** ****). ** *** Society ** ************ **********'******* ************: "****** *****, ******, ****, **** travel *** ******* *********"
Hikvision ******* ********
*************, **** **** ***** *** ******* new *** ******* *************. ********* ** simply ******* ****-******** *********. ******, ***** the ****** ********* ****** ****** ********** *** ************ **** Jensen's, *** ****** ** ****** ** be *******. ** *** ***** ****, with ********* ***** **** **** $* billion ******* **** **** (**% **** China), ******** **** ** ********* ** such ***** ** ***************.
*** **** ******** ****** **** ** to ********** *** ************ ********* ** going ** ****** ** ***** *******. We **** ** ******* ************* ***** who ******** ** ******* ********* ** nothing **** **** * ***-****, ***-******* 'Chinese' ****. ** *** ********, ***** like ****, ******** ** ********* ***** on **** *******, *** ***** ******* overall ********* ***** **** **** ********* is ********* *********** ** ***-****** ******* campaign. ******* **** **** *** ******* prices, **** ****** ***** *** ******** Western **********.
IPVM ** ***** / ** ****** ********
***** ***, **** ****, ** ** China ***** ***. **** **** *** all ******** *** *****, ** ** always ** *** *****, *** *** trip ** ********** ********* ** *** trade ****. ***** ** ******* **** numerous ******* ********* ********* *********'* ******* domestic ******, ***** *** *******.
Comments (31)
U
Undisclosed #1
Oct 30, 2015U
Undisclosed #2
Oct 30, 2015"Hey Ralph, it's me Ginger!"
"It's not exactly what I was looking for but at least it's in the same field."
JH
John Honovich
Oct 30, 2015Robert Beachler
Oct 30, 2015John,
This is an interesting ethical debate and I would be interested in your opinion. Where would you draw the line? For example, Apple was notorious for controlling who get to attend their press conferences (and as far as I know never paid for editor/analyst travel). If you wrote a negative piece, you don't get invited to the next "unveiling". Would you consider "access" preferential treatment for editors/analysts that would bias their reporting? What about coffee/donuts at a press conference/seminar?
If instead of paying to fly editors to an HQ, what if one was to fly a small team around the world to personally meet with individual influencers to launch the next great widget/company? The company would probably be spending the same amount of money, but the "benefit" (If you call horrible plane travel and staring at hotel walls a benefit) goes to the company employee.
Thoughts?
-Bob
JH
John Honovich
Oct 30, 2015Bob, good points / questions!
Regarding Apple, if we were in their industry, we most certainly would be banned!
The way Apple structures it certainly biases reporting but, in fairness, most of that is fanboi fawning more than 'journalism'. There's definitely a business benefit for those who stay in good grace with Apple, because the reads of such posts are so high. Of course, Apple is the exception in terms of having that type of impact.
For us, it makes no difference if we are the first or last to hear about something. What we differentiate on is our deeper understanding, based on industry experience and hands on testing. As such, whether or not we are invited to pres events is irrelevant. And, as our recent skipping of ASIS shows, we feel they are mostly a time waster anyway.
As for reversing the approach, flying out a small team to each editor would definitely be far more expensive than flying the editors to the manufacturer's site. One editor a day (since most are in different cities) for 10 editors with a 3 person team, the costs are quite high. Also, less impressive than to show your own facilties and wine / dine them at your own site.
"'benefit' (If you call horrible plane travel and staring at hotel walls a benefit) "
I agree many / most manufacturers view it at that way but the average trade mag editor makes a fraction (literally) of what the average manufacturer makes and has far lower travel budget. As such, these are perks for them.
U
Undisclosed #2
Oct 31, 2015In fairness to Hikvision, it appears that they only paid for coach tickets.
Also, to dispel rumors of being a puppet of the state, they bought "American".
HL
Horace Lasell
Oct 30, 2015Regarding coffee/donuts:
The U. S. Office of Government Ethics, that exemplar of rule-based integrity, has observed that items of little intrinsic value such as coffee and donuts are not presumed to be a corruptible influence.
UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Oct 30, 2015Apparently nobody at that Govt Office drinks good coffee.
Put a cup of great coffee in front of me at the exact right time and I'll write any fluff article about your stupid company's "thought leadership" or your lame new widget's "potential disruptive impact" that you want me to.
Hal Bennick
Oct 30, 2015They have never had Shipley Donuts, or Jane and John Dough Pretzelachi's http://www.janeandjohndough.com/. I've known people to overnight these suckers all over the country and become instant rock stars...
U
Undisclosed #2
Oct 30, 2015Hikvision Pays For Trade Mag Editors China Trip...
Totally understandable, with all the hacking going on lately they just wanted to hand him the article in person.
UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Nov 01, 2015Good for Hikvision for learning how the game is played in America and only paying coach airfare.
Bad on Jensen for having the stones of a daylight burglar and complaining about it publicly. What did he want? An Axis cruise ship or the Pelco private jet to get him there?
UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #5
Nov 02, 2015HIK's rivals are left behind far away and getting further in this year.
JH
John Honovich
Nov 25, 2015U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 25, 2015Ironically, the people not in the picture look better than the people in the picture...
Like Ethan, for instance.
JH
John Honovich
Nov 25, 2015Anyone who claims to be a journalist must be insane to stand for that picture.
U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 25, 2015It's not what it looks like.
It's actually a test of their new crossed-line analytic.
U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 26, 2015Anyone who claims to be a journalist must be insane to stand for that picture.
Smartest journalist in the room?
JH
John Honovich
Nov 26, 2015And the least shameful... Ralph Jensen, right up front holding his goodie bag.
U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 26, 2015JH
John Honovich
Nov 26, 2015They only have 2,000 software engineers. You can't expect a team that small to be able to create a polished UI.
Oh wait...
U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 26, 2015Ralph Jensen, right up front holding his goodie bag.
Stuffed with all things Ezviz, no doubt. Turning him into a virtual human FOB point for the possibly the first shipment to hit U.S. soil.
Though getting thru customs with a life size stuffed moose is no easy task....
UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Nov 25, 2015U
Undisclosed #6
Nov 25, 2015I've come to the conclusion that the "media" people covering the security industry ultimately care very little about security or advancing the industry in general. Offer any of them a 10% raise to cover cattle futures, or a lucrative beat reporting on the Pine Wood Derby finals and they'd jump without looking back.
These people are "writers", not "journalists". Their job is to take information they are fed, with little depth of knowledge, and format that into something which can be wrapped in ads and sold.
JH
John Honovich
Nov 25, 2015"Offer any of them..."
Speaking of which, for those of you who remember Geoff Kohl (formerly) at SecurityInfoWatch, he's now a travel editor getting even better free trips.
JH
John Honovich
Dec 04, 2015SDM pulls no punches:
"Hikvision provided a well-balanced itinerary of business, culture and history for the week-long editors’ junket."
U
Undisclosed #2
Dec 04, 2015JH
John Honovich
Nov 10, 2016A new Hikvision paid trip to China has just finished. Jensen went back, along with 'editors' from SSN, GSN, Security Management and Security Magazine.
U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 10, 2016Founded in 2001 with 49% foreign capital...
The other 51% in marked bills, with the ink still wet.
U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 11, 201650% greater turnout this year,
vs last year
though 90% reduction in women and 100% reduction of goodie bags :(
JH
John Honovich
Nov 11, 2016The image with more people is actually from 2014, see: Hikvision Hosts Trip to China for Key European Customers
U
Undisclosed #2
Nov 11, 2016That would explain the large date banner from 2014. :)
I just used a simple Jensen test, but apparently I was fooled: