Schadenfreude [The Cooks Source Debacle Peanut Gallery]

[veinglory]

That page probably is a hoax.

The real one is still here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cooks-Source-Magazine/196994196748

I would bet the new one is real, they seem to have lost control of the old one.

 

[AZ_Dawn]

I must say I'd like to print out the original article and see if I can get a decent cook to make that second pie recipe for me.

This didn't make it to Fandom Wank, but it is in their spin-off community Off Topic Wank.

 

[Button]

http://illadore.livejournal.com/

She updated as much as she could, but since Cook's Source isn't really responding, there's not much she can do.

How Publishing Really Works has a nice collection of information. I love the updated "apology" from the editor (posted at the end).

 

[jallenecs]

I only heard about this debacle this morning. I know the original author of the article, and we share mutual friends (that's how I heard about it, through one of our shared acquaintance).

I assure you, it's not a hoax. Depressing and frustrating, but not a hoax.

 

[Button]

Figured it wasn't. The Internet would have found out by now if it was. Those Redditors are pretty good at sniffing out hoaxes.

Although the hoax Twitter and other accounts, including a new CrooksSource.com website, will probably make lots of people think it's a hoax.

 

[mscelina]

I think a lot of people WISH this was a hoax, but it's most definitely not one. Although there are some folks who'd like to sweep this under the rug, hide their heads in the sand and pretend it never happened, unfortunately that's not the case. This is a real, prime example of a blatant misappropriation of the intellectual property of not just one individual, but scores of individuals and corporations.

Someone made a ton of money stealing the work of writers from the internet. No matter how much anyone SAYS this is a hoax, it isn't. It's substantiated fact--and probably only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this type of activity. This stupid 'editor' was dumb enough not only to get caught, but to act like an asswipe when she did. I'd be willing to bet there are scads of 'editors' out there will small print run magazines or e-zines, perpetrating the same type of IP theft who AREN'T dumb enough to respond the way Griggs did.

So anytime something like this happens, it's understandable to me at least that the writing community would do their darnedest to publicize the circumstances around it, despite the ostriches who would like to claim 'it's all a hoax.'

 

[scarletpeaches]

HOLY CRAP! I AM SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW I JUST WANT TO CRY!!! WOW the nerve of that Judith Griggs. What the hell is wrong with her???

She's a raging assclown with all the morals of a Publish America employee on crack?

 

[mscelina]

She's a raging assclown with all the morals of a Publish America employee on crack?

Sssh. She may post that as her Facebook status if you're not careful...

 

[Button]

She can post this.

 

[scarletpeaches]

Sssh. She may post that as her Facebook status if you're not careful...

*flips Ye Olde Worlde spellchecker switch*

Verily, I say unto thee, Goodywife Griggs art a tumbler, a jester, yay, a clown of the ass, and she doth have the morals of a servant of the devil. For he walketh among thee and he is called Publish America and he doth snort the crack up his diabolical nostrilholes.

Renounce Publish America and all his works!

Amen!

*swipes hands*

There. That should give her some SRS EDITTNIG work to do.

 

[Button]

Someone should publisher her emails at PA.

Not really but it's a funny idea.

 

[Button]

 

[jallenecs]

HOLY CRAP! I AM SO ANGRY RIGHT NOW I JUST WANT TO CRY!!! WOW the nerve of that Judith Griggs. What the hell is wrong with her???

I am not angered by this event. I am frightened by it, by the real possibility that she truly acted out of ignorance of the copyright laws. I have not the least doubt that she is not the only person out there pulling this stunt; she's just the one who got caught.

How do you cure stupidity? Moreover, how do we, as writers, defend ourselves against such stupidity? Malice and disdain for the law can be corrected by the law. Willful stupidity has no redress under the law, and if the person will not learn, then we cannot stop this from happening again, and thereby protect our intellectual property.

 

[Button]

I think the public ridicule you might face is a good reason not to do something. Maybe we need more public spankings.

 

[Old Hack]

http://illadore.livejournal.com/
How Publishing Really Works has a nice collection of information. I love the updated "apology" from the editor (posted at the end).

Thank you.

 

[jaksen]

Amazing. Like a thriller happening over real time.

I hope that editor gets her just 'desserts' ...

 

[Hathor]

I suspect that something will happen legally to Ms. Griggs. It wasn't only this one article that was swiped, from what I've read. There was content from people with attorneys on retainer, like Paula Dean, who has already referred the matter to them. Someone even found content from the likes of Martha Stewart, Oprah, and Disney. Think they will let it go? I don't know that Griggs had any original content in any of the issues.

Here is one compilation: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc...bHo1d1FIR2oxNWJLaDZLeXhEVEE&hl=en&pli=1#gid=0

Maybe a honking class action lawsuit is in order.

She also has at least one other magazine and folks are going through that.

I find it hard to believe it was stupidity. I read the comment of one author who was copied who said she had a copyright notice on each page of her website. Besides, ignorance of the law is no excuse.

 

[jallenecs]

Sad to say, I DO believe it could very well have been willful stupidity. It never ceases to amaze me how stupid human beings can be. I truly believe she opened her little magazine without ever bothering to learn the ins and outs of copyright. Moreover, if this little whirlwind hadn't happened, she would have continued on, without doing the research and without consideration of the authors she was robbing, right up until somebody else caught her.

Pure ignorance is one thing: it can be cured by asking the right questions. Willful stupidity -- not wanting to know, or bothering to find out the rules -- is another creature entirely.

 

[Hathor]

You may be right. People can be very stupid indeed.

It is just that this woman made such a big deal of her decades of publishing experience. In decades she never heard tell of copyright?

I will be interested in seeing how all this plays out.

I was trying to see if she put a copyright notice on her magazine but all the top Google hits involve the controversy. Then I figured that I was spending too much time reading about this all. It is like rubbernecking at a bad car accident.

 

[brainstorm77]

Got to love her apology post on FB... She most certainly isn't out to win any friends. *Sheesh*

 

[Sarashay]

This didn't make it to Fandom Wank, but it is in their spin-off community Off Topic Wank.

OTF Wank is actually Other-Than-Fandom Wank. It's for crazy things like this incident that don't quite fit under the umbrella of 'fandom.'

And my, have they had fun with this one.

 

[brainstorm77]

Any news on this? I couldn't find anything.

 

[Velma deSelby Bowen]

Griggs made an apology, though it was four paragraphs of "those evil hackers at FaceBook have ruined our precious magazine" before the apology appeared; she did make a donation to Columbia School of Journalism; and there's now an article (I can't find the link -- sorry) about how Griggs has been ill-served, and how tragic it is that her magazine might have to close. Apparently Griggs can't make a distinction between "hackers" and people who friended her original FB page to write comments.

(The article annoyed me, because the tone was very much, "she made a mistake and the EVIL WEB beat her up," editing her original response to leave out much of the snark. Also, in the article, contrary to her original response, suddenly Griggs didn't truly understand copyright law, which severely got up my nose.)

 

[Deleted member 42]

That "apology" was not written by Griggs; the syntax and overall style (as well as the spelling) were not hers.

I'm wondering about possibly an SO or family member?

 

[brainstorm77]

Is there a link to it? I'd like to read it.