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This morning The Guardian posted a story that a British government-funded agency, the Communications-Electronics Security Group, had fully rejected BlackBerry 10 for government use due to security concerns - specifically over the Balance feature. Our own James Richardson dug around a bit more for a statement from the CESG about what's going on with BlackBerry, and found simply that BB10 hasn't been out long enough to be fully tested yet. Since then, The Guardian has pulled the story and are currently making corrections, according to the story's author Charles Arthur.
Re BlackBerry article: we’re making corrections. Was wrong to suggest CESG has “rejected” BB10. It’s unevaluated. bit.ly/16JMXWV
— Charles Arthur (@charlesarthur) March 20, 2013
Personally, we've got no beef with The Guardian (they have a fine BB10 app that nearly made my top 10 list) or the article's author, Charles Arthur, who took a fair bit of heat for the misinformed story. They did the right thing and retracted information that was officially clarified, and it's worth commending them for it. It just would have been nice if they didn't cause this much confusion over the issue in the first place, especially at times like this when BlackBerry stock is so volatile.
For those curious, you can see a cached version of the original article here.
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MoeR15 Mar 20, 2013 at 3:02 pm
thats good to hear !
koool1 Mar 20, 2013 at 3:07 pm
Terrible reporting. Can't believe the negative stories and doom that still get pushed out on BlackBerry. So tired of it.
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keypad Mar 20, 2013 at 3:08 pm
Guardian, I salute you.
Next time dont be Zombies, we are watching.
themyk Mar 20, 2013 at 3:09 pm
Thank you Tram CrackBerry for getting right on top of this before any nasty rumors had time to spread. The Guardian is a great news outlet and they have a fantastic BlackBerry 10 app so let's let all this be water under the bridge!
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themyk Mar 20, 2013 at 3:10 pm
Whoops, Team CrackBerry!
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jojo beaconsfield Mar 20, 2013 at 3:18 pm
nice to see them retract,this will work in bb's favor,others will follow, they can't play this game forever
NamelessStar Mar 20, 2013 at 3:09 pm
lol its a given everyone is going to find it now or later to backtrack on their dumb stories
TimJohnSmith Mar 20, 2013 at 3:10 pm
Time to download the Guardian app and directly thank them for the retraction.
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q649 Mar 20, 2013 at 6:11 pm
Sorry, I don't feel any need to thank them for extremely sloppy journalism.
HomerJ Simpson Mar 20, 2013 at 6:30 pm
I agree, not sure I'd thank them. I'd commend them for being professional about acknowledging the mistake (... unlike sites like iVerge and iBGR). Charles Arthur should punch his source in the face for passing off completely incorrect info.
bee_rye Mar 20, 2013 at 5:11 pm
and all the blogs and "journalists" who re-posted that shit need to correct themselves. They all jumped on it like free jameson at a party. shameless...
shredney Mar 20, 2013 at 3:26 pm
Sorry bee_rye , I don't know where you are from but your comment re "a nude chic in a boys dorm" is shameful , with everything in the media regarding Rape culture it is uncalled for. Your valid post didn't need that tasteless ending
evil Mar 20, 2013 at 3:46 pm
You mean BGR and the rest of the doomsayers.
bee_rye Mar 20, 2013 at 5:44 pm
The verge was quick to post it as well.
HomerJ Simpson Mar 20, 2013 at 6:34 pm
Last time I checked, iBGR posted an update, but left the headline to make sure they continue to add to their click-throughs. I think we hold iBGR and iVerge to too high a standard. They may have resembled tech news outlets in the past - with some journalistic integrity - but after visiting the sites over the last few months I think they're more like tech tabloids. Pretty consistently shameless stuff.
evil Mar 20, 2013 at 7:39 pm
It sucks to because I use to be a "iBGR' reader about 4-5 years ago when he use to be more balanced but now it's like he's on a crusade to defame any manufacturer that doesn't have a product that starts with an "i".
br14 Mar 20, 2013 at 8:32 pm
He's only doing the bidding of his masters.
They're "advised" by Mr Wozniak. For adviser read "major investor". Apple doesn't leave PR to chance.
James Richardson Mar 20, 2013 at 4:09 pm
Perfect example, lol.
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sickyute Mar 20, 2013 at 3:14 pm
I would really like to know why people have such an issue with BlackBerry?
HomerJ Simpson Mar 20, 2013 at 6:39 pm
That's a great question. It's a phone after all. It's like Blackberry slept with their mothers and then kicked them to the curb to hail a cab.
br14 Mar 20, 2013 at 8:37 pm
Too right. Why would people working for media that depends heavily on advertising revenue from the worlds largest consumer products industry have an issue with BlackBerry? ;-)
Not to mention the tens of millions made every week playing a volatile BBRY on the markets.
The issue is money - and lots of it.
walnuts1024 Mar 20, 2013 at 3:15 pm
Good to see them doing the right thing.
mediadavid Mar 20, 2013 at 3:16 pm
Fair play to the guardian. Though now hopefully they'll be a bit more careful.
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felixlives Mar 20, 2013 at 3:19 pm
First chance these people get they will jump on the "BlackBerry is doomed " bandwagon
Jeeez man WTF seriously research your shit before you publish man
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greatwiseone Mar 20, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Stupid for them to even publish the story in the first place. Problem is that people cite this and don't bother correcting it later.
Nghia Nguyen Mar 20, 2013 at 3:22 pm
I wonder the Guardian writer intentionally made the wrong claim to manipulate the stock price...
Prince Radebe Mar 20, 2013 at 3:27 pm
My thoughts too, atleast he got them to dip to 15.67 but they've been rising since
Vorkosigan Mar 20, 2013 at 4:30 pm
My thoughts as well. If you read the article carefully it wasn't a 'mistake'. It was deliberate negative spin and I don't think I'd be too quick to forgive.
kupfernigk Mar 20, 2013 at 5:59 pm
Charles Arthur, iWorshipper. At one time the Guardian seemed to be the UK arm of the Apple PR department.
russnash Mar 20, 2013 at 3:23 pm
Simon, why do you always look so depressed in your pics? Did Kevin make you lick-clean his white Z10 again?
Simon Sage Mar 20, 2013 at 4:48 pm
My dad posted this picture on Facebook for my birthday last month. We had a little back-and-forth on the expression.
I'm not always that worried though, honest.
kidbagel Mar 20, 2013 at 7:34 pm
Too funny. I think the writer from Guardian had just about the same look on his face when the editor hauled him in for an explanation ;-)
fbf2012 Mar 20, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Now only if we can get CNN to backtrack on the BS article they have on their site right now!!
axllebeer Mar 20, 2013 at 3:25 pm
Glad they at least pulled the story and are doing the right thing now. Not publishing the crap in the 1st place would've been better but this is better than just letting it sit there and festering.
ttlub Mar 20, 2013 at 3:34 pm
That Guardian writer is definitely not a BlackBerry fan or the story(lie) would not have been released. I see everyone kissing Guardian butt. How was the writer disciplined?
marvini Mar 20, 2013 at 3:36 pm
BGR was quick to publish a negative article today but have not updated it since the Guardian recanted. Typical for a blackberry hater. What us also interesting is the isheep comments in the said article.
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jojo beaconsfield Mar 20, 2013 at 3:38 pm
thestreet.com has just come out with another article related to the gaurdian's and although they do say the US and German govs have approved it, the Z10,the article is negative,once you lite the match it's easy to start a fire .this seems to be thier game.it goes on and on one story after another they trully are a relentless bunch
nhanken Mar 20, 2013 at 3:42 pm
That's the power of CrackBerry Law Firm =)
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drum Mar 20, 2013 at 3:42 pm
Hats off to James for digging into this story!
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James Richardson Mar 20, 2013 at 7:04 pm
Thank you :)
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tmurphx5 Mar 20, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Found this in a comment on MarketWatch
Here's the official word from CESG (UK's Communications Electronics Security Group) on the matter:
"Discussions with BlackBerry are ongoing about the use of the
BlackBerry 10 platform in government. We have not yet performed an
evaluation of the security of that platform, but we expect to be issuing
Platform Guidance in the summer. This will cover a number of platforms
including Blackberry 10 (and the use of 'Balance'). We have a long
standing security partnership with BlackBerry and this gives us
confidence that the BlackBerry 10 platform is likely to represent a
viable solution for UK Government."
Alex Keb Mar 20, 2013 at 3:47 pm
CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN, NOW THEY BACKTRACK AFTER THE FACT.
ASSHOLES! SCUM! YOU CALL THIS JOURNALISM! ROAST IN THE FIRES OF HELL IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST!
Houshinto Mar 20, 2013 at 3:49 pm
Funny thing is though people are miffed about this lazy journalism, the next response I'm sure we'll hear is "How Blackberry supporters are mean and nasty for bombarding the source with flak". Yes, holding the trash-peddlers accountable is just outrageous.
bb10abuser Mar 20, 2013 at 3:50 pm
Sometimes such confusions result in higher net positive results at the end when the dust settles down.
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ken2ts Mar 20, 2013 at 3:51 pm
Saw this originally in Gizmodo - they haven't updated their article though.
http://gizmodo.com/5991470/bb10-fails-the-uk-governments-high-security-t...
sin-co Mar 20, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Other sites, like boys who consider themselves Genius', jump on false reports when they are bash BBRY! I guess it's a good way to get clicks :)
THBW Mar 20, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Well we shouldn't let Mr. Arthur off so easily. Just read the first sentence of his article. He says the Z10 was "rejected". Pretty clear and strong stuff. Of course, it was completely wrong and he didn't have a shred of evidence. Just 3rd hand innuendo. Sorry, but sloppy, sloppy journalism. And don't cut him slack about pulling the article. He only did this once official statements came out from CESG and Blackberry that made him look like a goofball.
mscloutier Mar 20, 2013 at 5:30 pm
+10
datgurl Mar 20, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Sloppy journalism
The London Geezer Mar 20, 2013 at 4:03 pm
Ah, The Guardian, the New York Times of the United Kingdom - rubbish.
gwanstarr Mar 20, 2013 at 4:08 pm
Someone needs to tell them Apple slave yahoos over at the Verge that their story now has no source and thus is false.
kimosaab Mar 20, 2013 at 4:14 pm
NY Times has already quoted and included a broken link to the article in their Bits Daily Report email. Looks like they need to retract as well.
Xolisa_T Mar 20, 2013 at 4:18 pm
They tryinna diminish the Z10
xBURK Mar 20, 2013 at 4:24 pm
Unreal. They don't give a cap about who they take down in there path. Nice work Crackberry. Thank You!
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thecsman Mar 20, 2013 at 4:42 pm
Poor guy is being demolished on Twitter, he's trying to keep up. I guess he's not fast enough on his beloved iPhone.
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alan510 Mar 20, 2013 at 4:44 pm
I'm not sure what the journalist was thinking when he wrote the article but one thing journalists should always question is the motivation and timing of the "Source ". After all, this information had to come from someone as no media release was issued so this was a story that the reporter dug up. Sounds like he didn't do much of a job checking his info. Shoddy work at the very least.
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Charles L Mar 20, 2013 at 9:33 pm
Agreed. The Guardian was caught lying. This wasn't an error, but a deliberately written article.
Can't blame them for trying, so much other trash gets published bashing Blackberry, especially from the analysts Pac Crest, Canaccord or from media outlets like Forbes and BGR
jautrey Mar 20, 2013 at 4:49 pm
Just another example of how certain journalist just want to write-off BB and push out these negative stories.
Glad for the retraction!
jolynuk Mar 20, 2013 at 5:07 pm
What's even more pathetic is how the usual trash talkers like CNET & BGR, and even some newspapers, quickly picked up this story overnight and reported it as fact.
mikeycollins13 Mar 20, 2013 at 5:09 pm
Gentleman,
This story was not retracted out the kindness of their hearts. It was retracted because I personally called the CESG this am and asked them to put put a statement, which they did. I took that and threatened the editorial staff with a press inquiry as is being I thrust upon the Telegraph currently.
They did the right thing and jumped on their sword, but please don't call anyone heroes for that. A lot of poor people lost a lot of money when the Telegraph ran its hit job. These editors have a responsibility to live up to.
Charles failed his.
jsocan Mar 21, 2013 at 2:45 am
Thank you, Michael, for taking action to quash misinformation once again.
Love your articles on Seeking Alpha, esp. the UK retailer and channel check piece.
Pandastrong Mar 20, 2013 at 5:18 pm
He was a right d*ck to everyone on twitter who pointed out he was wrong, he told @eugenbaban (who's on here and was Blackberry's official fan of the month) to "P*ss Off." really glad to see the Guardian did the right thing. Really shouldn't have happened in the first place though.
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flacko Mar 20, 2013 at 5:30 pm
As of this moment CNET still has the original article posted. They know it's wrong because they just deleted all the readers comments from the article! Most of the comments were critical of the article and quite a few people were demanding the article be updated or removed. Really unethical of CNET!
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flacko Mar 20, 2013 at 8:06 pm
Just noticed CNET has posted an amendment to the original story.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57575253-94/blackberry-10-deemed-not-se...
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AbnerDoon Mar 20, 2013 at 5:40 pm
I wonder if BGR will be making any comments
mikeycollins13 Mar 20, 2013 at 5:42 pm
I suggest someone else take up the slack and nail Cnet. Story has to go down.
WillieLee Mar 20, 2013 at 5:58 pm
What's the point of a retraction when the original story is not going to be forgotten?
BBZen Mar 20, 2013 at 5:59 pm
The hedge funds in the U.S. that are short Blackberry have hired a PR firm to trash Blackberry at every occasion, including providing BS stories to naive Apple fanboys like Charles Arthur. If he prints the BS without checking his facts, he is asking for trouble and somebody has obviously called him on it. About time! Is it a coincidence that the last Apple fanboy, Eric Savitz, that published garbage from James Faucette from Pacific Crest without fact checking recently left Forbes? I guess the hedge funds and their PR guys are looking for another patsy to publish Jame's crappy research without checking any of his facts and have found it in Charles Arthur. How about that fiasco of a report out of Pacific Crest where he said that Blackberries were being discounted when they weren't that was so thoroughly debunked. When I read such crap research from a small no name firm like Pacific Crest being quoted, without fact checking, in major publications, something sinister is up. Why not quote Goldman or Morgan Stanley, nope gotta quote a no name whose work is repeatedly debunked? To you big New York hedgies, stop playing dirty, a lot of investors are getting hurt by your sinister actions and those of your paid for analysts, let the facts speak. And, while you're at it you may want to cover your shorts before you lose even more money.
KMB4 Mar 20, 2013 at 6:02 pm
Keep in mind there is ALWAYS a reason for this kind of thing. As long as the people speak loud enough this kind of thing won't last long. Enough voices will quiet the BB bashing and leave BB to it's fate, whatever it may be. Keep up the good work and remember it for other transgressions of liberty, policy, etc.
sonbuster Mar 20, 2013 at 6:13 pm
three cheers for Team BlackBerry!
Hip hip hurray!
Hip hip hurray!
Hip hip hurray!
1959gazza Mar 20, 2013 at 7:22 pm
I used to be an avid reader of the Guardian newspaper, but for the last few years in appears that the lunatics have taken over the asylum. On the one hand there are supposedly leading environmentalists wrongly tweeting about innocent people and then on the other, there is guardian tech, a more unbalanced and biased online publication is hard to find.
Puz_zled Mar 20, 2013 at 10:58 pm
You mean Microsoft? Apple or Google marketing dept.? Nokia? Samsung? Who would sink low enough to pull crap like that ......
feeding a twisted version of the facts as if it's a real story to this guy?
From my sweet BB10 Neutrino powered Z10 :D
Louis Belshaw Mar 21, 2013 at 1:26 am
Great news :)
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BernardK Mar 21, 2013 at 2:56 am
"After all, BlackBerry doesn’t need to be the market leader. They just need to rebuild a sustainable business that produces profits."
This is totally agree able! I mean, we know how BBRY Has been struggling in the recent years... And right now the most important thing that BBRY need to achieve is gaining back their credibility. things needs to be taken steps by step...
Key is right now BB10 is awesome device! Because os it, the BlackBerry name has gone up with it. And me being a fan of BlackBerry, totally proud of them.
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darkehawke Mar 21, 2013 at 4:48 am
Typical Guardian though. Research is for lesser people...
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AtInsider Mar 21, 2013 at 8:32 am
US Department of Defense to buy 650,000 iOS devices?
http://www.fudzilla.com/home/item/30837-us-department-of-defense-to-buy-...
This story is being plastered everywhere, especially from sites that love Apple and hate BlackBerry's guts. All I heard was the DOD is opening up to other companies for mobile choice, doesn't mean they are ditching BlackBerry. They claim they will have at least 8 Million smart phones when everything is all said and done by 2015. Perhaps CrackBerry can post a new topic on this to remove the miss-information.
Rootbrian Mar 22, 2013 at 1:07 am
All those misinforming articles need to be removed for f**k's sake. This is why In don't read the news anymore, or even watch it much less skim through articles occasionally, only to FACEPALM at them.
buylocal_getaBB Mar 23, 2013 at 10:21 pm
I emailed Charles Arthur the day I read that crap. I expect more out of our British friends, factually wrong reporting on blackberry is done well enough by the americans
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