During the recent tragedy, I heard the same gripes every time the media misreported something. When reporters said 10 policemen thought buried in the rubble were still alive, the reporters were accused of seeking the almighty scoop. Turns out the story came from a cop's wife -- hard to blame the media for that. And, of course, the Internet news media have been constantly derided, even as millions tune in each day.
My faith in the media was upheld during a Meet the Press interview with Vice President Dick Cheney. Cheney was in the White House when he heard about the World Trade Center. Although the White House is surrounded by the CIA, the FBI, the NSA and every branch of the military, Cheney chose the simplest, most effective route to the latest information: He turned on the TV.
At first I was appalled that our government didn't have techniques superior to those of CNN, Fox or MSNBC. Then I thought about the incredible resources our news organizations can muster. Bystanders with first-hand video tapes immediately contact the networks. Reporters in every country work their sources for the latest dirt. Then it's all packaged and sent off to us -- and to Dick Cheney.
What's this got to do with networking? First, Network Computing is a member of the media, so I guess I am defending our honor. Also, the media reside more and more on the Internet, the largest network ever assembled, and here is where the most potential value lies. Take "The Drudge Report." Sure the guy is completely irresponsible (and wears a silly hat), but when I wanted to scan the latest happenings during the Twin Towers crisis, "The Drudge Report" was the place to go. In five seconds, I could scan headlines from all over the world, then jump into the story for more details.
God bless our free press.
|
More from Doug
Take an unusual tour of industry happenings, and explore the interesting and the insane with Doug Barney's NetNews Weekly.
|
Shame on Big Investors
When the stock market reopened after the Sept. 11 catastrophe, it registered its biggest one-week loss ever, getting slammed even after a year's worth of brutal declines. Many individual investors held tight, believing it unpatriotic to sell off stock. They lost billions for their efforts. Institutions have no such heart: They sold off in droves, reducing the net worth of the common man and destroying confidence in the economy. Just as we have united against a common terrorist enemy, we must collectively demand these institutions reverse themselves and stop at nothing to invest in our economy. It's not just a matter of honor, but economic survival.
Viral Terrorism
I've never hidden my feelings about those who release computer viruses -- I hate them. But my anger has never been greater than when some complete jerk/moron/loser released the Nimda virus just as we were reeling from the terrible devastation in Washington and New York. Our own Mike Fratto and Greg Shipley wrote a brilliant analysis of this beast. I'll leave the details to the experts (www.nwc.com/buzzcut/bc19sep01.html), but I advocate we track down the Nimda virus creator in the same fashion we track down the terrorists who blew up our buildings and killed our people.
Laughter is the Best Medicine
I haven't had much of a sense of humor lately (some would argue I never had one to begin with), but I thought I'd end with a chuckle. A business associate recently sent this to me:
"If you bought $1,000 worth of Nortel stock one year ago, it would now be worth $49.
"If you bought $1,000 worth of Budweiser (the beer, not the stock) one year ago, drank all the beer and traded in the cans for the nickel deposit, you would have $79."
I think I need a Bud.
-- Doug Barney, dbarney@nwc.com
RSS
