I got the info off of Matt Drudge's website. The article is a must read! The article is filled with statistics, and IMHO contradicts what the media is saying on what percentage of people who plan to stockpile food and take money out of the bank.

http://www.pathfinder.com/time/pr/newyears.html

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 21, 1999

Answers

Well, here is how one of our local TV channels (NBC affiliate) in Tampa used this information tonight (This follows previous thread I started regarding their idiotic Y2K coverage this morning ... TV: Be Relieved, Most will not save ANY food!)

Sunday Evening News Program: First they said 75 percent of people will stay home for New Years this time. ooo-wow. Then they mentioned the statistics of what percentage of people would be kissing at midnight.

THEN they went back to their story of the morning, and followed with a different poll (everything is under control) The food industry says 70 percent will not save ANY food for Y2K (GOOD NEWS!!!) and 80 percent were not concerned about shortages! (so common sense is prevailing, they said this morning)

So 75 percent will stay home, 80 percent are not concerned. 70 percent are intelligent enough to avoid buying any extra food. No problem. Quiet year. Hmmm.

Then I wait for them to repeat the goofy news that local hospitals are "Y2K ready" because some are "90 percent compliant" and one is "86 percent compliant" That's what they said in the morning.

Nope. They just say, AND hospitals are all compliant! And the airport blah blah blah. So we have gone from 86 percent compliant in the morning to ALL COMPLIANT by the evening. Without any remediation whatsoever. When a news team is not only uninformed but trying to put a happy spin on things, they will manipulate whole combinations of polls into any picture that suits their needs.

What people in Tampa will remember from all this is that 1. People are gonna stay home because they are nice, quiet people and kiss well. 2. They are happy and unconcerned, just spending a comfortable New Year's at home 3. It is smart not to buy anything, and 4. Everything has been fixed.

Next story.

-- (normally@ease.notnow), November 21, 1999.

Another Time Cover Story

-- some discussion (here@click.link), November 21, 1999.

isn't it great--for the first time i don't have to feel guilty for wanting to stay home!!!

-- tt (cuddluppy@nowhere.com), November 22, 1999.