The BBC News TV mix-up, now being called ‘The Wrong Guy’ by a number of news outlets, raises interesting questions about the value of broadcast over social media.
If you missed it, here’s a summary: Respected IT journalist and blogger Guy Kewney is invited by BBC News 24 to speak about the Apple vs Apple court case during a live studio link. A ‘bungling’ BBC receptionist sends the wrong Guy in to the studio – a graduate from the Congo called Guy Goma, waiting for a job interview with the BBC. Thinking it’s an elaborate part of the interview process, Mr Goma goes along with it. Hilarity ensues.
Most of the media has been after Guy Goma – the wrong one – all day. The papers – the Mail in particular – were full of him commenting on various topics, from Prince Harry and Saddam Hussein to immigration and technology issues (his speciality).
But Guy Kewney, who is, after all, the expert, has been conspicuous by his absence. We tried to get in touch with him to discuss the story for LEWIS 360, but he was unavailable for comment. We wanted to ask him – exactly how much has the traffic to his blog spiked since he famously wasn’t on the BBC? Much more, we assume, than a five-minute slot as an Apple expert?
“Guy Goma” is currently the #12 search on Technorati, while the blog search engine’s tracking tools report around a 5x increase in traffic to, and reach of, Kewney’s blog, www.newswireless.net. But it’s hard to tell how much exposure this hilarious gaffe has afforded him.
One thing’s for sure – Guy Kewney is going to have been in demand all day from the traditional media outlets and the social publishers, vying to hear his story.
Was not appearing on the BBC the best personal PR ploy ever?
I hope Guy Goma got the job!
Posted by: Julie Blane | May 28, 2006 at 10:24 PM
What happened to the receptionist?
Posted by: SED TV Fan | June 04, 2006 at 04:23 PM