case-bad-journalism: new post

Author: ariadnavigo

content/posts/case-bad-journalism.md

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+title = "A Case of Bad Journalism: Git Rebase Drama on the Linux Kernel"
+date = '2025-06-09T14:46:51+02:00'
+author = "Ariadna"
+tags = ["news", "linux", "journalism"]
+keywords = ["linus torvalds", "linux", "kees cook"]
++++
+
+You may have read [the news][rebase-phoronix] last week. Linus Torvalds exploded
+on the [LKML][linus-lkml] because of a series of modifications on Kees Cook's
+tree that he thought of being a malicious attack against the Linux kernel code.
+Cook has been a kernel developer for a long time, so him being accused of
+malicious intent by Torvalds himself of course made the news as soon as it
+happened. After some back and forth, [developer Konstantin
+Ryabitsev][ryabitsev-lkml] was able to trace the origin of the problem. Some
+script Cook used to rebase some of his commits had run amok and unintentionally
+corrupted his tree. After realizing what had happened, Cook was reinstated as
+part of the project. No harm was done; business went on as usual after that.
+
+But the FOSS "press" was so quick to milk the clickbait on this one. Just on
+YouTube, you'll find videos like [this,][savvynik-1] later expanded with the
+full resolution of the story [here;][savvynik-2] or [this one][robertson] and
+[this other one in Spanish.][librebyte] On the written side of things, you may
+find articles like [this one][itsfoss] and probably many more. All of these, of 
+course, resort to titles where they bait potential readers with the possibility
+of some malicious _intent_ of attacking the Linux source tree, even when the
+video or the article itself later backs off that narrative by explaining how
+everything was just a misunderstanding due to a faulty script, no bad intentions
+whatsoever.
+
+Phoronix, on the other hand, did the right thing in the article I cited first,
+by using a way more neutral title: _Apparent Git Scripting Issue Raised Concerns
+Of Possible Malicious Linux Kernel Activity._ However I have noticed that the
+article URL says _Linux 6.16 Git Gone Wrong._ I don't know if that was an
+earlier title that was later edited as soon as new information came in, but in
+any case even that apparent first title is way more cautious than just assuming
+Torvalds' instinctive (and quite understandable, though rushed) first reaction 
+at face value.
+
+Even Linus can get things wrong from time to time. Therefore, when reporting on 
+something that is still a developing story that can go either way, the
+ethical move is to wait. We're living in an era of fast-paced media and there
+are reasons for publishing an ongoing story. The problem is when people jump to
+conclusions that imply something really bad and big happened, without proof or
+an analysis yet.
+
+This is surprising to me in a niche like FOSS, where you'd expect people to be
+more methodical precisely because most of us have some relation to coding,
+computers, etc., so we should know that many, many times things go wrong not
+because of bad intention, but because we're dealing with complex systems and
+mistakes can easily be made. This goes for Linus himself, of course, although I
+can't even start to imagine the amount of stress he carries over his shoulder as
+the leader of such a critical project like the Linux kernel. Stress often leads
+to bad emotional management (but no, I'm not justifying Linus's first reaction
+accusing his colleague of _bad intention,_) but I'm sure the FOSS press can do
+better.
+
+[rebase-phoronix]: https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-6.16-Git-Gone-Wrong
+
+[linus-lkml]: https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAHk-=wj4a_CvL6-=8gobwScstu-gJpX4XbX__hvcE=e9zaQ_9A@mail.gmail.com/
+
+[ryabitsev-lkml]: https://lore.kernel.org/all/202505312300.95D7D917@keescook/
+
+[savvynik-1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu42F-XMNC4
+
+[savvynik-2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnrMmq8Sf44
+
+[robertson]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhfhzTDQdUU
+
+[librebyte]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQBx_N3-R1c
+
+[itsfoss]: https://news.itsfoss.com/linus-kernel-broken-pull-request/