The relatively small number of families and local communities actually making contingency preparations is unlikely to increase dramatically over the remaining seven months, unless the mainstream media does a lot less sensationalized investigative reporting, e.g. the 60 Minutes Y2K segment aired this past Sunday, May 23. The nation needs more of this kind of programming in the mainstream broadcast media. There has been way too little coverage of this ilk in proportion to the problem.

The Internet will continue to be central to Y2K reporting and debate, but the general American public and the smaller businesses and governments are not motivated to act by sources on the Internet. They respond to the mainstream media's priority concerns and known personalities. A Peter Jennings or a Dan Rather sound bite is more persuasive than the more developed arguments of Internet commentators, such as Yardeni or Yourdon. Hopefully, more mainstream media pundits will follow the 60 Minutes' lead with even greater depth and breadth in the coming months.

For the Internet audience, there is a wide array of very current data, analysis, and perspectives. Because we are unable to make time for original research, it would be very difficult for us to add significantly to what has been and what is being said already.

-- Victor Polier (out@here.now), May 26, 1999

Answers

Umm, this is a good article, but Victor spells his name Porlier... <:)=

See here and here.

-- Sysman (y2kboard@yahoo.com), May 26, 1999.

These are excerpts from his last column, posted by someone else.

-- Brooks (brooksbie@hotmail.com), May 27, 1999.