Charlie ...
... has always come over as being a bit of a tit.
Inquirer celebrates spammer murder-suicide
There's an air of celebration down at The Inquirer at the news that fugitive spammer Eddie Davidson decided to do the decent thing and kill himself. Here's our take on the story, but check out the opposition's view on the whole sorry affair. Well, as an opener, this takes some beating: "Not all stories have a happy ending, …
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Friday 25th July 2008 12:54 GMT Dennis O'Neill
You weren't mean enough
To the Inquirer, that is.
What a vile little rag. To cheer at the idea that someone killed themselves and their family is simply revolting. You should have been much, much harsher on the twunts who wrote that piece.
Spam is a pain in the @rse, without a doubt. But to glory in the fact that a man shot dead himself, his wife and his three year old daughter, and left a teenaged girl with a life-threatening wound and, if she survives, a nightmare that any sane person wouldn't wish on their worst enemy, is just sick.
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Friday 25th July 2008 12:54 GMT Paul
Couldn't agree more
Lester, thanks for reminding me why I don't bother reading the Inquirer (among other reasons).
There is a difference between 'edgy' or controversial editorial and this kind of juvinile nonsense. It's the sort of thing I'd expect to see written by a 14-year old on Slashdot who thinks the idea of prison rape is funny, and somehow thinks that sending spam e-mails is morally equivalent to mass murder.
There is a time and a place for schadenfreude, and this wasn't it, no matter how much of an ass the man may have been.
So hats of the Vulture central for showing some maturity and not sinking to such easy lows.
Paul
(Flames, because that's where the Inquirer' should be)
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:14 GMT Adam Foxton
Great, now I can't decide who's scummier
The spammer or the Inquirer.
If it had just been his own suicide you could almost see where they were coming from and it would almost have been okay to make comments like this- moreso if he didn't have a family.
But the guy shot his family- to kill them- as well as killing himself. That's not a laughing matter, spammer or not.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:14 GMT Anonymous Coward
Well done...
.....for not sinking to that level. I read the Inq article first, and had to read it again just to check i wasn't dreaming and really was published like this.
I'm all for getting rid of spammers, but preferably in jail and hopefully to learn not to do it again! As you said, the outcome of this is shocking and disturbing and feel very sorry for the family, both the ones killed and the impact on the surviving family.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:14 GMT Sam
Link bait
How horrific. I can't help thinking, though, that the Inquirer is just indulging in completely crass link baiting - it's exactly the sort of thing that gets picked up by other media - like El Reg - and social news sites; I wouldn't be surprised if this is making its way up the ladder of Digg and Reddit as soon as America wakes up properly. Which makes the Inquirer not just crass, but something else beginning with C, too.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:14 GMT amanfromMars
Spam is Artificial Intelligence so AI is not new to you
"That anyone should kill his wife and child and then himself is a tragedy, " .... and a failing in and of the [DiscOperating] System. IT Lacks Future Dynamsm aka HyperVision.
Have Microsoft Cracked the Quantum Kernel Enigma for Dynamic Flash AIdDrivers yet? Are they Phishing for IT or dDeveloping ITs Protocols?
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:14 GMT David Webb
Happy Ending?
There is no happy ending, just a tradgedy. Families in pain due to the murder of their loved ones. How any journalist could put it in a "good light" is beyond me. Though I read some of the comments in the 1st reg article, and some of the posts struck me as just as bad as the inq article, humanity sucks.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:23 GMT Mac
I wonder...
how many people (ok idiots) lost their life savings to the 'nuisance bloke' spam scams and ruined their lives ... maybe even to the extent of taking their own lives.
The fact that he decided to take 2 innocent people with him shows the character of the man, not a human I will miss I have to say but the inq piece is pretty poor taste.
Call me cynical but 'news' sites/hacks sniping at each other about standards is the pot calling the kettle black. I've seen plenty of articles on this site over the years in appalling taste that someone somewhere will find abhorrent. The saddest part of this story is the baby that was in the back seat. What a welcome into a shitty world.
Paris, because she can't read spam so she eats it instead.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:23 GMT shane
the inquirer are idiots
whatever moron in the inquirer wrote that story should be sacked. how could anyone rejoice over something like this!! he shot a baby and his wife! its slightly out of proportion to expect the death penalty for spam!! although the inquirer article does make a reference to a little blue pill ( by which i assume they mean viagra)
e only made millions from spam because people are trusting idiots and greedy and ingredibly gullable. to eb honest anyone who falls for the " im a multil millionare and need to smuggle money out of <insert african country here> " scam deserves to loose their money
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:23 GMT Michael Jarve
Tasteless
I know that El Reg has never (ever) done anything to stir up controversy, but the Inquirer has really crossed the line here. It's the sort of maniacal mouth dribblings I would expect out Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh, but not out of a tech rag, no matter what their editorial policy is.
I guess THG regains the fourth tab. And that hasn't been worth reading since the 1GHz P!!! incident.
:wq
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:26 GMT V
Dog eats dog, dog hurt....
Nice to see a bit of spleen being vented, and in a worthy cause - The Inquirer should have a quiet moment of reflection on this. Bad taste is - well - generally to be commended, but common decency suggests this story should not have been handled in that way. Even in malice there should be style, and - just a little humanity.
But...
1) Are they really "the competition"? Do you not elevate them somewhat?
2) The Reg is not immune to its own lapses of decency. This
(WARNING: link to unpleasant video with little news interest)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/02/saddam_youtube_hit/
was sufficient to ensure I am more careful about clicking on Reg stories, and less careful regularly to click advertiser links, than I once was.
That said, I am glad Haines has taken issue with the Inquirer's story.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:43 GMT Reptar
Now you've gone down in my estimation
Meh. I don't really like this kind of clean hands journalism. It's the kind of tabloid stuff that gives us "Jordan calls Posh scrawny cow" (psuedo quotes). Brilliant! Y'see the printing media didn't say it, Jordan did! But we get to print all the juicy details. Whoopeedoo! And you can be disgusted at the same time! Yey!
Same thing here.
If you've got some spat with some other rag, keep it to yourself eh?
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:43 GMT David Hicks
Well off.
That's out of order.
The guy was obviously scum, but to celebrate the event when he killed his wife and one child and clearly tried to kill another - that's a bit sick.
The whole thing does reflect on what we've thought about spammers before, that there's more than a hint of the sociopath about them, but it's an out'n'out tradgedy.
Always thought the Inq were a tabloid to the Reg's broadsheet.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:52 GMT Mike Crawshaw
(no words)
A pathetic piece of writing, not worthy of the word "journalism". I guess maybe the writer fell for a 419 or penis enlargement pill? Or is just a worthless tosser who gets his jollies by causing outrage.
Although the spammer's death is of no great loss to the human gene pool, the method by which he chose to exit it, taking his wife and child with him and grievously wounding another child, makes this an incident to mourn, not celebrate. At no time, ever, should the death of a child be treated in such a manner - even more so when the murderer is the one person in the world who should be protecting the child with his own life.
Nice to see, for once, that the comments here so far (though perhaps due to moderation) maintain a veneer of decency.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:57 GMT Anonymous Coward
No decency
As with your own earlier coverage (which I almost commented on, but decided to not to as I've been doing rather more comments than work recently!), I don't see the link between being a scumbag spammer, and being happy in any way about this tragedy.
The guy may have had a nasty line of work, but to be pleased his dead just crosses a line of bad taste. And to add into that what he did to his own family, well it seems pretty obvious he wasn't well mentally, and should be mourned rather than gloated over.
Skull and crossbones, 'cos it was the nearest to an RIP I could think of.
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Friday 25th July 2008 13:57 GMT Neil
Funny how there are no comments against the original Inquirer article
I know I posted a comment highlighting the poor taste and insensitivity of the article, and that it did the Inquirer no favours. I guess it sums them up when they write an article like that, and then silence any form of subsequent criticism. T0ssers.
(The article is still available on the Inquirer, but it's disappeared from their front page, so I maybe someone there has an ounce of common sense, but still not enough).
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Friday 25th July 2008 14:14 GMT Al
Poor taste
In common with a lot of the above, I think the Reg has overstepped the mark on a couple of occasions in the past ('PC poor pop pops pills' springs to mind), it's never sunk to that depth.
None of us like spammers, but to be full of glee when someone is driven to such an act of despair is beyond wrong.
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Friday 25th July 2008 14:21 GMT Jesse
If I'm not mistaken
I believe I have read at least one article where Charlie admitted to have been drinking while writing.
Unfortunately, like spam, a sensationalist can come off as a total dick even though it is merely his job to come off that way for increased revenue.
I blame the system more than I blame the people. But, yeah, he ought to rethink some things.
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Friday 25th July 2008 14:27 GMT GROLAW
Safety in the US means a felon
has easy access to a weapon. It is bad enough that the fool decided to end his own life (when swearing off the Internet would be enough for most of us, albeit that there are those who would agree that burying him just to his head at low tide might be appropriate, too) but killing a spouse and child is a crime beyond cruel.
Easy access to deadly weapons makes these stories commonplace. Only in the US will the lunatics argue that weapons make us safer, as if we are all ready, willing and able to engage in the high-noon quick draw to save ourselves and families.
I notice that the 3 year-old didn't have time to defend herself with her nursery gun - and somehow, mom must have forgotten to pack heat that day.
Nope, this is the standard outcome in a nation that has taken the Beatles at their word, "Happiness is a Warm Gun."
Why couldn't gun-boy have taken up arms against his spam colleagues, instead?
Oh well, sick story, sick people and sick outcome.
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Friday 25th July 2008 18:52 GMT Steven Raith
Oh dear.
As noted by a few above, regardless of the 'artistic slant' that Charlie Demerjian and the editorial team at The Inquirer might claim have, the mental image of a three year old being shot isn't something I could put 'Yay' next to really.
That article is pretty fucking brutal, even by my admittedly shady standards of humour.
Ah well, sums up what I have always thought of Inq - the electronic equivelant of The Sun/Daily Star - not even suitable for use as toilet paper, because it's already full of steaming shite.
Steven R
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Friday 25th July 2008 18:52 GMT FerretOfDoom
Disgusting
To revel in and praise the taking of human life is simply disgusting. How would the inquirer report on one of their employees shooting and killing the other employee who took lunches from the fridge every day and his tease of a secretary? Would they see positive light in that?
For shame.
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Friday 25th July 2008 18:55 GMT Anonymous Coward
A bad end all round
spammers - I think I've pointed out before now in jest that if you remove their hands, they can't use a keyboard, with obvious limitations on the alacrity that they can then steal bandwidth.
Edward "Eddie" Davidson - I wouldn't comment beyond speculating on whatever disorder was affecting the state of his mind and whether an improvement in the conditions in the federal pen might have prevented this scenario. I have my doubts when it comes to the latter point. Read back over some of the run up to arrest - he didn't present as being posession of the full deck.
Guns - Here in the UK we have now banned them, but gun crime is at no lower a level now than it was prior to Dunblane I would suggest. Hell we have our own brand of perps these days packing UZi's and Ingrams according to the police and the press. (Slightly off topic - What was wrong with the idea of allowing private ownership of firearms only by licensed members of approved clubs, with all ammunition, firearms themselves and reloading of expended brass kept on club premises ? I can only assume that much like the controversies on Devil Dogs, delinquent kiddies, wasters with disability, evil immigrants/asylum seekers, and every other scare story perpetrated by our wonderful press and beloved politicans that an assumption was made that something had to be seen to be done. I used to shoot at clubs in the UK (can't do so now) but would never have bothered with ownership, simply sign for a club weapon, enjoy my paper perforating, then sign it back in with the unexpended ammunition.)
The big difference between here and the US doesn't seem to be the will to use fireams amongst our various miscreants, simply the relative numbers of perps and guns in circulation.
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Friday 25th July 2008 18:55 GMT Mr Trilby
Read The Follow-Up Editorial
In a sober editorial entitled "That suicide spammer story", INQUIRER editor Paul Hales analyses and apologies for his decision to publish the article.
In my view, there's nothing good about spam, nothing good about murder and nothing good about most suicides, including this one. None of the several tragedies involved here lessens any of the others.
As Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi put it: An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.
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Friday 25th July 2008 18:56 GMT W
I think they've taken the point on board...
...and have acted accordingly.
@ http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/25/suicide-spammer-story
"That suicide spammer story, Editorial, By Paul Hales: Friday, 25 July 2008, 5:45 PM
IT'S NOT OFTEN that I have to leave my ivory tower and dive into the maelstrom and explain myself.
Charlie's personal take on the apparent suicide of escaped spammer Edward Davidson presents one such occasion, so here we go.
[...retraction...]
But in this case, our presentation of an argument may have crossed from bad taste to offensive. I apologise for that. µ"
Can we go back to playing nicely now?
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Friday 25th July 2008 23:29 GMT Anonymous Coward
A permanent solution for a temporary problem....
The response to a suicide is never simple. Nothing we can say or do will affect the dead. Leaving us with doing the next right thing for those who alive.
How we respond to someone else's crisis is a good measure of our humanity, our personal morality and a strong reflection of family values. Imagine the impression this person is making on his children and grand children.
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Friday 25th July 2008 23:29 GMT Ryan Donaven
Think, don't just react.
In case you haven't done any follow up, which seems to be case in point for this rag, the Inq posted an apology. Is it the right thing to do, yeah, but it's not standard operating procedure for them, so I am sort of impressed.
Charlie is a dick, but he says that the article was supposed to be sarcastic and extremely dark humour. If it was meant as satire, then we all missed the point. When Jonathan Swift first wrote A Modest Proposal, people were in an uproar over his disgusting piece, taking it as truth; satire often has that effect.
Was it bad taste? Absolutely. Is Charlie a fraction of the writer Swift was? Not even close. But if that was the intention of the article, then do your best to stop being biased and accept that.
What I find almost as deplorable as the original article as Charlie wrote it, is the fact that a rival rag takes this opportunity to post a snippy little article flaming the Inq about this. How is bashing your competition and writing sanctimonius articles news? It's sad. I am sure if both sides wanted to, you could fire back and forth about tons of articles, and watch us readers leave you both behind. The article was in bad taste, and your reply was petty and shallow. Did it make you feel good?
Both sides need to try and become real grown up journalists at some point.
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Friday 25th July 2008 23:29 GMT Anonymous Coward
Mixed emotions here
First, the fact that Charlie's article even saw the light of day was wrong. Secondly, to make a half-hearted attempt at downplaying the death of this individual's wife and child and the injury of another shows a complete lack of class by the 'reporter'.
To be perfectly blunt, Davidson was a waste of skin and got what he deserved. I absolutely refuse to feel any remorse for a criminal, coward and a murderer of their own family. I hope the bastard is roasted in a most vile place in hell.
Conversely, my heart goes out to the survivor and remaining family members and I wish them a full & speedy recovery and most heartfelt condolences on their loss.
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Friday 25th July 2008 23:29 GMT Watashi
What's good for the goose...
Hmmm, who causes the most harm? Some guy who wastes our time and money filling up our inboxes, or some moron who thinks its 'cool' or 'telling it how it is' or thinks he's being 'brave' by 'challenging' the wolly-minded liberal elite that runs the media (yes, the one that only exists in the mind of would-be Brownshirts) by celebrating some guy killing his little girl and his wife.
I'm all for the freedom of the press, so I wouldn't wish to see this guy stop writing. However, I think the level of hell reserved for spammers is probably much less painful than the one kept aside for journalist like this.
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
