At 9:03 AM 01/30/96, Timothy C. May wrote: [...]
But, it occurred to me, this is just part of the larger syndrom. Simson's article was practically written from the FV press release. While he interviewed some "security experts," clearly the timing of his article (this morning) and the announcement by Nathaniel of his discovery (this morning) suggests the cozy relationship involved.
The larger syndrome is that software deals, alliances, mergers, and problems are all based on hype. Nathaniel Borenstein issues press releases, Sameer Parekh issues press releases, and maybe even I would issue press releases if only I knew how to. [...]
I'd say _all_ news, not just software news, is P.R. controlled, these days. You can largely hold Edward L. Bernays, the "father of public relations" (who just died last year) responsible for that--or the societal conditions that allowed Bernays to do his thing. Bernays developed expertise in "engineering of consent" turned the news into a commercialized and manufactured commodity. As the NYT magazine "people who died last year" blurb on him said, maybe once you could trust that the news you read was something that a reporter or editor independently decided was newsworthy. Now, the news you read is manufactured in press releases to sell a product, and is there because a well written press release convinced a reporter or editor that a marketting ploy was actually a newsworthy event (or, perhaps, because the advertising dollars that went along with the press release convinced him). Witness FVs demonstration of key capture becoming a newsworthy event. If you want to effect what's in the media, maybe you should learn how to issue press releases.
Journalists seem to love this, because the press releases write the stories. Companies like it, too, because they can get free newspaper space. Everyone is scratching each other's back.
Yup. Throw the government into the mix too, and I think you've got a pretty good model of the media. -- "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in a democratic society. . . Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country." -- Edward Bernays