__/ [ John Bailo ] on Tuesday 19 December 2006 18:08 \__
> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>> The Redmond Copying Machine?
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>> | My recent video, which tweaked Microsoft for crowing about its
>> | "innovation" in Windows Vista (without acknowledging its huge debt
>> | to Mac OS X), triggered plenty of reaction. It probably comes as no
>
> Good article...but it completely ignores Linux...as does the entire NYT.
>
> I wrote a comment...we'll see if he posts.
I know I've posted this before, but Microsoft and the Times/NYT enjoy a
special relationship. They would rather leave Linux at the attic, out of
people's sight (same with the showrooms).
Some source which I read argues that Pague (will have)( received a nasty
letter from Microsoft on Monday. I can imagine that his employers would not
be happy and herein lies the evidence that by owning news sources you get
praises. When you handle the paycheck, you expect to be pleased with
publicity that's given in return. The state of mainstream media (not only in
the States) is concerning...
NY Times bans Microsoft analysts from Microsoft stories
,----[ Quote ]
| The Register this week started pushing the Times to explain its quoting
| stance after noticing that Rob Enderle - the most quoted technology analyst
| on the planet - had been blocked from commenting on companies with which he
| has a financial relationship. The ban against Enderle appeared odd, given
| that Times reporters continue to cite analysts from larger firms who also
| have financial relationships with the companies discussed.
|
| [...]
|
| A better policy might insist that the Times disclose the ties between an
| analyst and a vendor, leaving the reader to make the credibility judgement.
|
| As it stands, objective Times reporters must not form opinions about the
| companies they cover and must then quote analysts who don't cover the
| companies for opinions. That seems more like praying for accuracy than
| pursuing it.
|
| The funny - or sad - thing is that the paper doesn't come close to
| following its own advice.
|
| Just days after banning Enderle from discussing Microsoft because he has
| Microsoft as a client, the Times quoted Gartner analyst Michael Silver and
| AMR Research analyst Jim Murphy in a story about Microsoft's Windows and
| Office software.
|
| If the paper would prefer not to quote an analyst who has experience with a
| client, it did a poor job. Silver is Gartner's vice president in charge of
| client computing. Microsoft happens to do lots of business with Gartner and
| also happens to have a client-software monopoly. We're guessing that Silver
| knows Microsoft's products well and has direct involvement with the
| company.
|
| And, sure enough, he appears a number of times on Microsoft's own site and
| thousands of times in stories about Microsoft.
|
| Jim Murphy - wait for it - covers Microsoft too and is even more prolific
| than Silver.
|
| Both analysts, however, should hang their heads in shame because Enderle
| has ten times the Microsoft opining skills.
|
| Since the Times can't follow its own policy, it should come as no surprise
| that other publications have shunned the Gray Lady as a standards setter.
| Rob Enderle this week made it into 51 stories - and counting - about
| Microsoft. ComputerWorld, InformationWeek, PC World, MarketWatch and
| InternetNews.com all quoted the analyst without ever touching on his
| relationship with Microsoft."
|
| ...Lord knows, the Times could use some help.
`----
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/15/nytimes_ms_ban/
Corporate Propaganda Still On the News: Study Finds Local Stations
Overwhelmingly Fail to Disclose VNRs
,----[ Quote ]
| A new study by the Center for Media and Democracy says Americans are
| still being shown corporate public relations videos disguised as news
| reports on newscasts across the country.
`----
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/11/14/1518200
FTC Moves to Unmask Word-of-Mouth Marketing
,----[ Quote ]
| The Federal Trade Commission yesterday said that companies engaging
| in word-of-mouth marketing, in which people are compensated to
| promote products to their peers, must disclose those relationships.
|
| [...]
|
| Word-of-mouth marketing can take any form of peer-to-peer communication,
| such as a post on a Web blog, a MySpace.com page for a movie character,
| or the comments of a stranger on a bus.
|
| As the practice has taken hold over the past several years, however,
| some advocacy groups have questioned whether marketers are using such
| tactics to dupe consumers into believing they are getting unbiased
| information.
`----
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/AR2006121101389.html?nav=hcmodule
Bill Gates lends cash to buy newspapers
$350 million to MediaNews
,----[ Quote ]
| Gates involvement has been very behind the scenes. In fact many of
| those involved in the deal didn'teven know he was one of the investors.
| It was carried out through the Gates Foundation, the world's largest
| philanthropy outfit.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33849
--
~~ Kind greetings and happy holidays!
Roy S. Schestowitz | "On the eighth day, God created UNIX"
http://Schestowitz.com | Free as in Free Beer ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
Cpu(s): 21.2% user, 3.0% system, 1.0% nice, 74.8% idle
http://iuron.com - semantic engine to gather information
|
|
