This post could also be titled Long respected newspaper’s good intention’s run amuck. The Washington Post’s past sunday issue, 2006.10.22 (same articles also found on their website), published five articles on the iPod and/or the overall state of the digital music business. Good timing and a dose of awareness from the Post as the iPod’s birthday was that following monday, 2006.10.23.

Two of their respected Tech columnists handled the meaty bits relevant to the coming occasion. Those two pieces by Rob Pegoraro and Mike Musgrove were much more of an insight into the current state of the iPod and greater music market while the remaining three articles dealt with, “Let’s take three average sort of people and let them regale us with their very personal experiences of this iPod phenomenon”. Unfortunately, those latter insights, while making what could (and should) have been compelling points, were undone by false assertions and assumptions.

A bit of shameless self promotion, but I thought I would take this small blog post to link to my tuesday article published by Low End Mac (LEM) dealing with the subject at hand. I will admit to taking liberty with American English spelling and grammar rules, paper bag breathing induced ranting, riding the high horse, and overall making much ado about nothing. Really, who goes to mainstream news publications to get their hardcore tech news.

There are many more issues with which to be indignant about when it comes to our mainstream print media’s coverage. Sure, there are some very good tech columnist, but the articles I reference were from a writer who is usually on the Telecom beat and two guest correspondents. Please note, I wrote the LEM article late sunday/early monday morning (it was not posted until tuesday because I don’t usually do monday content) and I had one too many home made chocolate chip cookies. I think I can speak for all of us when I say “WOO BOY!”, after partaking in one too many freshly baked circular goodies. Then again, it is the internet and I think I am about par for this binary course.

The linked piece on LEM is longish when compared to an average “blog” entry. Not Ars Technica indepth and overflowing with many savory details long, but a little bit of a read compared to an average blog post. I’m just warning people on short lunch/smoking/bathroom/my damn kids are hellish minions and I just want a few minutes to clear my mind breaks.

I don’t want to rehash my same points again, but I will add some more tidbits not in the Low End Mac thesis. MacUser’s Dan Moren beat me to the punch with a sunday and follow up monday posting on this issue. Particularly interesting was Dan Moren’s uncovering of Neal Mueller’s maybe not so objective viewpoint. Apparently, Mr Mueller’s mountain climbing efforts are in some way sponsored by Creative, the very same music company who’s music player he lavishly praises while (hyperbole warning) eviscerating the iPod’s very state of existence. The erudite and silver-tongued, err(?), dexterous fingered (that just sounds dirty) John Gruber also weighs in on the whole escapade.

Enjoy the links. Especially the one to Low End Mac (Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink. You know what I’m saying, you know what I’m saying).