From: steven ryan <sryan@reading.com>
Date: Sat, 26 Aug 95 14:22:12 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Modern Journalism (was: All about Bernstein)
Message-ID: <199508262121.RAA24748@zork.tiac.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


I want to puhhff you up  -- SNL?

>We need to "Just say No!" to journalists asking for "more personal details"
>to spice up their stories... 
>I no longer read the many puff pieces on Phil Zimmermann, for example, as
>they all are seemingly in the same format: huge closeup photos of Phil's...

You may not want to read those stories any more because you know all the
details. But a puffed up cover story on Phil Z in People magazine would be
one of the best things that could happen. Some actresses feel that any
publicity is better than no publicity and they may be right. Given that we
are not going to get many in depth technical articles in the mainstream
press, puff pieces are better than nothing.

In the last month on two different occasions I have been in casual
conversations at work when the subject of PGP and cryptography came up based
on articles in the local media. I was able to answer the questions and
explain in detail the benefits of PGP and as well give out a disk loaded
with the program for them to try. If the puff pieces weren't read by these
people the subject would not have come up and I wouldn't have been likely to
have had the opportunity to get these people interested in using PGP.

Given that the average person still knows nothing of cypherpunk technology
and issues and probably wouldn't mind if it was all outlawed in the name of
national security, anything that keeps the topic in the public's eye is good.
Steven Ryan
sryan@reading.com