From: Kevin L Prigge <klp@gold.tc.umn.edu>
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 95 22:36:24 PDT
To: sameer@c2.org (sameer)
Subject: Re: NYT on Internet Flaws
In-Reply-To: <199510120347.UAA27336@infinity.c2.org>
Message-ID: <307ca9244fa4002@noc.cis.umn.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


According to rumor, sameer said:
> 
> 	I completely agree that the reporters on this list make things
> very difficult and people do need to be very careful about posting
> things which will get misinterpreated by reporters.. but--
> 
> 	This list is -not- an "announcement" list. If I see a
> potential bug, I want other cypherpunks to tell me whether I am onto
> something or not, so I would post. If some idiot reporter takes that
> and writes an article saying "XXX has a hole" that is -EXTREMELY BAD
> REPORTING-.

It's the "information wants to be free" mindset meeting the "I've got
an hour till deadline and my house payment is due, and if I get 
scooped again I'm out of a job" mentality. (Apologies to the reporters
on the list who work hard to develop stories, and do a good job for
the most part).

What is happening is two different systems are interfacing, and 
the "bad reporting" we see are just translation errors. In the 
many to many system on the net, there is information flowing both
ways, and knowledge is additive. In traditional media, it's a one
way flow, and a "story" is often a one shot information transaction,
with little opportunity built into the paradigm to expand or 
correct the information once it is sent.

Will the interface get better? My hope is that it will, because as 
more and more people get involved in the net, the audience for
traditional media will become more aware of inaccuracies, and 
poor information will be less saleable than it is currently.


-- 
Kevin Prigge                        |  Holes in whats left of my reason, 
CIS Consultant                      |  holes in the knees of my blues,
Computer & Information Services     |  odds against me been increasin' 
email: klp@cis.umn.edu              |  but I'll pull through...