http://www.kcstar.com/item/pages/business.pat,business/3773ee00.a15,.html

I hope I've done this correctly...

The Kansas City Star has had a "Y2k Watch" column written by two 'reporters' since the first of this year. They've consistently downplayed any serious news that could be considered 'damaging' to the All's well/Remain calm mantra that has overtaken most of the press. Any legitimate report of potential 'real' problems has been poo-poo'd or explained away -- many times in a very 'soothing' way one would console a child or someone with a diminished mental capacity. Their reporting has consistently been very selective, at best.

So, it galls me that now, mid-October, their lead story in today's column is quoting a guy who heads up the Kansaas City y2k efforts ($17.5 million) who sees "...public panic as our biggest problem in the weeks leading up to Jan. 1, 2000. That's because people are COMPLACENT now and will wake up too late...They're ignoring the problem and making the potential for problems worse".

The article goes on to say that Mr. Eatherton sees "...media reports sensationalize the potential for computer problems, some ill-prepared foreign countries fall victim to the bug and the U.S. stock market nosedives based on 'hyped' reports of global failures..." "And that's when people here will start doing stupid things and begin to create artificial problems".

The rest of the article has too many "hopes" and "scheduled to be finished" for me to be very happy.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), October 16, 1999

Answers

Gary North has written to the effect that there now appears to be a lot of "positioning" for a possible "blame game" to come. The press articles normally DO provide some suggestion that Y2K might be worse than a 3-day bumpo, but it always seems to be in the framework of "the experts" thinking it won't be. Still, one can point to such articles and say, "See, there it is, it said that Y2K just MIGHT turn out to have a lot of unknowns that could cause unforseen problems!"

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), October 16, 1999.

The irritating part of all of this for me is that these two reporters have made it a point all year long to all but snicker at anyone who suggests that the potential problems will be more than a BITR. They've regularly conveyed their impression that anyone who thinks it might be more than just a speed bump is borderline fanatic.

And even in the context of the article, the 'average' reader would still be thoroughly muddled...'complacency is problem'....'they're ignoring potential problems and making the potential for problems worse....media reports SENSATIONALIZE the potential for computer problems...'the stock market nosedives based on "hyped" reports of global failures....and that's when people here will start doing stupid things and begin to create artificial problems..."

So, what is it? No wonder the average "Joe" is confused to the point of apathy...first they're too complacent, yet if they're getting "sensationalist media stories", they might be *overdoing* it.

I believe this is a classic example of ass covering. Sad, too; the Star once was a great newspaper.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), October 16, 1999.

Wilferd -- I think you're right -- they're desperately playing the CYA game and looking around for scapegoats. What bizarre times we live in! Look for more of this as the days tick by. peace, Libby

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), October 16, 1999.

Of course another take would be that who is to blame for the stock market dive and the woes to come is you. If you only had had faith in the government and not "hoarded" 10 lbs of rice and beans none of this would have happened. This guilt play might buy the status quo a few weeks. How in the hell has it become immoral to provide for scarcity in times of plenty?

-- PD (PaulDMaher@worldnet.att.com), October 16, 1999.

Gary North said in early 1997 that he would be considered a lunatic now (1997), but would be mainstream in late 1999. Right now, he is looking better and better.

dave

-- dave (wootendave@hotmail.com), October 17, 1999.