Well, I sent those 39 questions along with a note to one of the editors at our paper (who has published things for me on y2k in the past). I just asked for MORE coverage please and sent the 39 ??s and asked her to look into them.

She phoned me and was so upset. Said they were a small town paper as I knew and what was she supposed to do. They couldn't cover all those things, just tried to cover mostly local events.

I tried to explain that she could look at each one with a local perspective and get some people thinking. She kept going on and on and on saying she was waiting for stuff to come from our official county y2k Task Force (which I am) and she'd be happy to publish it. I said we needed more than that stuff and suggested she might want to assign someone to investigate nursing homes that haven't done anything to prepare - now there's a story. She said "what good would that do". I tried to explain how it might help the community. She didn't get it. I said its important for newspapers to write investigative stories and not just publish what we send. She said "so we publish that they are not ready - so what then". I said, "well then people could decide to take their family member out; or go to the nursing home and say how could I help; or picket the nursing home; or whatever.

She just didn't even get it that newspapers could possibly do investigative journalism.

They are a small paper - serving county of 90,000 - and don't get paid well and therefore don't have the cream of the crop, but jeezzzzzzz!

Now she's feeling attacked by me and I've alienated our only newspapers. I've written and apologized and tried to re-explain my frustration, but......

-- Sheri (wncy2k@nccn.net), December 08, 1999

Answers

The questions are somewhat on the arrogant/accusatory side. I don't think many flies will be caught by that vinegar.

Was the purpose (in general) to enlist support or just to heckle?

You may have lost an allie.

-- Me (me@me.me), December 08, 1999.

I thought they were a good educational tool to summarize the problems that are out there. Jeez...who'd have thought someone would take it personally.

-- Sheri (wncy2k@nccn.net), December 08, 1999.

"You may have lost an allie."

for what? and too late for "allies" anyway

24 days or maybe less....

-- pops (poppy@poppin.fresh), December 08, 1999.

My local paper published an article with all the usual Y2K is nothing to worry about crap. And get this--the article carried no byline what so ever; they didn't even label it as "By Staff".

-- Ocotillo (peeling@out.===), December 08, 1999.

I hope everyone caught PBS's Frontline's excuses that they are booked until June, 2000 and none of their producers are interested in Y2K.

roflmao

They will be soon..... ;-)

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), December 08, 1999.

I hope everyone caught PBS's Frontline's excuses that they are booked until June, 2000 and none of their producers are interested in Y2K.

roflmao

They will be interested soon..... ;-)

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), December 08, 1999.

I hear the squeak of a door of opportunity opening.

Since the paper is used to printing just what it receives, why not offer to do a column on the local perspective on Y2K for the paper. You have the knowledge and motiviation. You know where the likely worst impacts are likely to be. You may not be a professional investigative journalist (but then neither are they). Go for it. Offer your services. Maybe go out BEFORE you approach the paper and do an interview anyway... present the paper with a "done deal" and see if they will print it. I did a piece as a "letter to the editor" in response to a joke of a community Y2K meeting. Too long for a "letter", so the paper wound up doing a feature piece on it. (but still the town is clueless for the most part... don't expect miracles). Good luck.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 08, 1999.

I looked for the local paper to do a local take on the Jim Lord fiasco. Thane Navy reported local servie providers as not likely to be ready. The paper printed the AP story, but told me not to tell them how to do their jobs.

Unbelievable! Whatever happened to that fire in the belly that journalists are supposed to have?

I still send e-mails regularly, but they go ignored.

-- Duke 1983 (Duke1983@AOL.com), December 08, 1999.

There's something tremendously weird going on here. Mass hypnotism.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 08, 1999.

No Mara, its called fear.

-- PD (PaulDMaher@att.worldnet.com), December 08, 1999.

Its not hypnotism or fear. Its human nature. Life has taught me that with most people, their mids cannot be changed with words. Mere words will not change their perception of reality. One of my favorite Groucho Marks line is "Who ya gonna belive, me or your eyes?" Now this quote may be sightly out of context with Y2K but the point is still there.

Another, issue with many people is if your going to rip their perception of reality away, they need something to take its place. I remember talking a relative into changing course with a certain issue (specifics are unimportant). In our discussions I finally figured out that towards the end, when my suggestions were making head way, their hesitancy was based entirely on the new unknowns. That is, towards the end their hesitancy was not based on the old beliefs but, the lack of a logical framework with which to proceed. Some call this cognitive dissonance.

Without an acute (physical) driving force, Y2K is nothing more than an abstract concept to most people.

-- gary (a@a.com), December 09, 1999.