Steve Jobs: not what you'd call helpful to a trainee journalist

Lots of journalists know the experience of contacting Apple to ask about a story and getting no response. But now a journalism student has discovered the experience too. Chelsea Isaacs, who is doing a journalism degree at Long Island University, was asked by her professor to write an article about the implementation of an iPad program at the campus.

So, obviously, being a wannabe journalist, since the story was about Apple, she contacted its press office. Not once, but six times, getting increasingly wound up. And then finally, in the way of a journalist right on deadline, she dug out an email address that is all over the web which is believed to belong to Steve Jobs, chief executive of Apple. Perhaps he could help?

We've seen the headers on the emails from Jobs, and they match IP addresses that could only come from within Apple. We sent the emails - with headers - to Apple on Friday afternoon (morning, their time) and asked for an urgent response by Sunday evening.

And guess what they said? Oh, we'll tell you at the end. First, the emails. We take up the story at 3.22pm (EDT) on Thursday 16 September with Isaacs's first email to Jobs.

Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's MediaRelations Dept.

Dear Mr. Jobs,"

As a college student, I can honestly say that Apple has treated me very well; my iPod is basically the lifeline that gets me through the day, and thanks to Apple's Final Cut Pro, I aced last semester's video editing project. I was planning to buy a new Apple computer to add to my list of Apple favorites. Because I have had such good experiences as a college student using Apple products, I was incredibly surprised to find Apple's Media Relations Department to be absolutely unresponsive to my questions, which (as I had repeatedly told them in voicemail after voicemail) are vital to my academic grade as a student journalist.

For my journalism course, I am writing an article about the implementation of an iPad program at my school, the CW Post Campus of Long Island University.

The completion of this article is crucial to my grade in the class, and it may potentially get published in our university's newspaper. I had 3 quick questions regarding iPads, and wanted to obtain answers from the most credible source: Apple's Media Relations Department. I have called countless times throughout the week, leaving short, but detailed, messages which included my contact information and the date of my deadline. Today, I left my 6th message, which stressed the increasingly more urgent nature of the situation. It is now the end of the business day, and I have not received a call back. My deadline is tomorrow.

Mr. Jobs, I humbly ask why Apple is so wonderfully attentive to the needs of students, whether it be with the latest, greatest invention or the company's helpful customer service line, and yet, ironically, the Media Relations Department fails to answer any of my questions which are, as I have repeatedly told them, essential to my academic performance.

For colleges nationwide, Apple is at the forefront of improving the way we function in the academic environment, increasing the efficiency of conducting academic research, as well as sharing and communicating with our college communities. With such an emphasis on advancing our education system, why, then, has Apple's Media Relations team ignored my needs as a student journalist who is just trying to get a good grade?

In addition to the hypocrisy of ignoring student needs when they represent a company that does so much for our schools, the Media Relations reps are apparently, also failing to responsibly handle the inquiries of professional journalists on deadlines. Unfortunately, for a journalist in the professional world, lacking the answers they need on deadline day won't just cost them a grade; it could cost them their job.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Chelsea Kate Isaacs, Senior, CW Post - Long Island University

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

The answer pings back at 16:19 (57 minutes later):

From: Steve Jobs [address and header confirmed - CA]

To: Chelsea Isaacs

Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's Media Relations Dept.

Our goals do not include helping you get a good grade. Sorry.

Sent from my iPhone

Gathering herself, Chelsea emails back at 4.37 (she's taken 18 minutes over this):

Thank you for your reply. I never said that your goal should be to "help me get a good grade." Rather, I politely asked why your media relations team does not respond to emails, which consequently, decreases my chances of getting a good grade. But, forget about my individual situation; what about common courtesy, in general --- if you get a message from a client or customer, as an employee, isn't it your job to return the call? That's what I always thought. But I guess that's not one of your goals. Yes, you do have a creative approach, indeed.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Is she slightly annoyed? Yes, I think that might be the case.

Back comes the response at 17.10 (33 minutes, if you're counting)

From: Steve Jobs

To: Chelsea Isaacs

Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's Media Relations Dept.

Nope. We have over 300 million users and we can't respond to their requests unless they involve a problem of some kind. Sorry.

Sent from my iPhone

And at 5.32 (22 minutes later) Chelsea has her answer:

You're absolutely right, and I do meet your criteria for being a customer who deserves a response:

1. I AM one of your 300 million users.

2. I DO have a problem; I need answers that only Apple Media Relations can answer.

Now, can they kindly respond to my request (my polite and friendly voice can be heard in the first 5 or 10 messages in their inbox). Please, I am on deadline.

I appreciate your help.

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Long pause. Perhaps he's contacting the PR people, having realised that Isaacs only has three questions, that they're about iPads, and that the media relations people might be able to sort it out.

Ya think?

At 18.27, just under an hour since Isaacs's last email, comes the final reply:

From: Steve Jobs

To: Chelsea Isaacs

Subject: Re: Mr. Jobs - Student Journalist Concerned about Apple's MediaRelations Dept.

Please leave us alone.

Sent from my iPhone

We have had no response from Apple on whether the emails are legit. We're quite confident that they come from within Apple (they come from the 17.x.x.x IP range, which is assigned to Apple)- but there seem to be three possibilities for who's writing them:
1) Steve Jobs. This is the most likely answer, though there has been an instance where Apple's PR people have - shockingly - roused themselves to say that one such conversation is a fake, though in that case the person having the conversation had been hawking it around for money. Isaacs hasn't asked for money, and has answered our questions.

2) Someone inside Apple who has been given the job of answering as though they're Steve Jobs to random emails from outside. If that's the case, they're not covering themselves in glory.

3) Someone inside Apple who has been assigned this email address, and is responding as best they can, but can't really handle it.

Whichever it is, Apple would probably do well to stop that person sending responses to people outside Apple. Honestly, it doesn't look good.

And it might also make sense for Apple's PR department to recruit a couple more people.

Chelsea Isaacs, meanwhile, joins the vast ranks of journalists who've put media queries into Apple and never heard back. Unfortunately, it's not what you'd call an exclusive club. And as far as we know, she didn't get the answers about the iPad either.