Leave Lord Jobs Alone
Via Gruber, this nugget of wisdom from Joe Nocera:
I can even understand why [Lord Jobs] doesn’t want to disclose details about his medical problems to the world — it’s very distasteful, and Mr. Jobs also believes strongly that it’s nobody’s business except his and his family’s.
But he’s wrong. There are certain people who simply don’t have the same privacy rights as others, whether they like it or not. Presidents. Celebrities. Sports figures. And, at least in terms of his health, Steve Jobs. His health has become a material fact for Apple shareholders.
He’s not wrong. I can buy what Nocera’s saying about presidents, but this bullshit about celebrities and sports figures and Lord Jobses not having a right to privacy is just a weak unfounded rationalization promulgated by people frustrated by their inability to break through into other people’s business. I understand that it’s a reporter’s job to find stuff out that wouldn’t be found out otherwise, but, when you’re talking about a private figure’s personal life, you no more have a “right” to be given access to that life than I have a right to be handed a finished novel, or a fully debugged piece of code.
Yes, they’re framing their frustration as outrage over Apple shirking its “responsibility to shareholders”, but come on guys, be honest: you’re just pissed because Lord Jobs isn’t doing your job for you.
And also — leave the guy alone, will you? He’s sick, for God’s sake.
Update: Brian Lam, who has apparently been publishing a lot of unseemly rumors about Jobs’ health, just wrote one of the most agonized, heartfelt mea culpas I’ve ever read. Good for him.
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