At 10:41 AM 06/16/94 -0700, Vinod Valloppillil wrote:
Then, the editor from Newsweek said that in any show about the "Data Superhighway" the Clipper chip had to be discussed. He then went on to say (and occasionally apologizing to Gore for being blunt) how the chip and the whole program were "loathed" by the industry and privacy advocates. Larry asked Groves what he thought about it and he went off talking about the govt's legitimate right to tap analog media and how all this chip did was to extend that right into the digital realm. I was shocked. Even worse, Al Gore supported Andy's position and then when Larry King got back to the editor, he backed off saying "well, I just heard that people in the industry didn't like it." Larry asked for his opinion on it as a provider of information services and he said, "we just report on public opinions in our magazine and don't try to take positions on the issues.
That was Vic Sussman, from US News and World Report. I didn't see the Larry King Piece, but I have talked with Sussman before. He is very old school journalist, and was asked what he thinks 'as a provider of information services.' He gave the partyline, 'as a provider of information services.' When I am asked about something 'as a small magazine publisher,' for instance (one of the few things that gets me questioned like that :), I respond as one. No publisher is gonna let people talk about touchy issues in an official capacity- it isn't professional and cause _tons_ of problems for no good reason. Yes, that can be used as a lame excuse, but there are many times it isn't. Grove, on the other hand, has no place making statements like that, unless Intel has a political science wing I haven't heard of.
Yuck.
I do agree with you on this. :) -j