Dateline: NBC News

December 30, 1998

NBC National News ran a lengthy story tonight on the Y2k issue. The story, which included the obligatory variety of extreme views concluded with the following quote from NBC News anchor Brian Williams:

"... and one more note here tonight about this millennium computer bug ... a recent survey of several hundred of the country's chief executives in the business world finds that over half of them .. 56% do not think it will be fixed in time..."

-- justme (justme@lurkerhq.com), December 30, 1998

Answers

The editor for that segment is an idiot. It was uninformative, an potentially damaging to awareness.

-- curtis schalek (schale1@ibm.net), December 30, 1998.

I guess this survey was run by the same people who take the Clinton approval rating polls. Hard to believe any CEO would respond with "don't think it will be fixed in time".

Troll Maria

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), December 31, 1998.

# # # 19981231

Troll Maria ( I love typing that name! ):

Hmmm ... Is it _that hard to "believe" that the CEO might just be telling the truth? ... "Get It?" ... ( Sheesh! ... *sigh* )

The biggest problem with getting people to "Get It" with the Y2K Techno-Ambush scenario, is really believing the ever-so-simple truth about it; _it _is _so "_stupid," "it couldn't possibly be true! "

Well ... It is TRUE! A lot of folks have yet to "get over it!" ... Then, PREPARE!

Have to buy some more ammo ...

Regards, Bob Mangus # # #

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus@mail.netquest.com), December 31, 1998.

I did happen to see that Y2K segment on NBC Nightly News. There were three directions it went in. It started by talking about computer programmers and the kind of personal preparation some of them are making. Then it segued to how the issue is being used by extremist groups and their fear that the government would use Y2K to suspend civil liberties and get rid of democratic government. The third part, as mentioned, was on 56% of chief executives thinking Y2K wouldn't be fixed on time.

For maybe a two-minute story, it packed a lot of information into it. The part on politcal extremists in the middle might imply to some people that Y2K is a "kook" issue, but I took the report on the whole as a good summary of where public reaction to Y2K is in December 1998.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), December 31, 1998.