Reporters fishing for stories

Reporters really ought to think about the e-mails they send. I'm a member of the Pho list, a mailing list about the digital delivery of art and its monetization. Like all mailing list, at least the ones I've seen, the participants are very opinionated and outspoken. One of the members of this list is Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

A reporter from Bloomberg News sent the administrator of the list an e-mail stating that she is writing a profile on Mr. Cuban and "heard" that members of the list "have some strong opinions about the guy and whether he's been good for the Mavericks or Dallas." The reporter wanted to chat with some of the members. So, the administrator then posts the e-mail to the Pho list.

I'm not sure what the reaction will be from the list members, but my guess is that they will react negitively to the request. Like him or not (I like him), I suspect that members of the list will see this as an "attack" on their own and not be cooperative with the reporter. Mark will probably take it in stride and see this as another opportunity for publicity a la Trump.