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A reader called me out for missing the real story on a big tech layoff
I wrote a quick piece about the 10,000 job cuts at a major company last quarter, just repeating the official press release. A reader emailed me saying, 'You just reprinted the spin. Did you check the severance packages or the state labor filings?' I hadn't. So I spent the next two days digging. The official story was 'restructuring,' but the state filings showed over half the cuts were in departments that were profitable. I changed my whole process to always look for the primary documents now, not just the company's announcement. Anyone else find that the real story is usually buried in some boring government website?
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jason_stone592mo ago
Ever feel like you're the only one digging?
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ross.christopher2mo ago
Oh man, @jason_stone59, I've got blisters from being the only one with a shovel some days. Feels like I'm digging to China while everyone else is getting a tan.
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lewis.gray2mo ago
Tell me about it. I've seen that movie before and I never get a cameo. You just keep digging until someone finally looks up from their phone and asks if you need a hand. By then you're halfway to the earth's core and too mad to accept help anyway.
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ruby6599d ago
...and that's exactly how I ended up down a rabbit hole about public transportation funding last year. I was trying to fact check a local news story about a new bus route, and two days later I'm reading through PDFs from the county auditor's office from 2007. Found out the whole thing was tied to a land deal nobody in the media had even mentioned. The official press release talked about "improving accessibility" but really it was about some developer wanting a tax break. That reader who called you out probably saved you a lot of future headaches. Once you start checking those boring government sites you can't stop, it's like a little treasure hunt every time.
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