IP: it's time the media started labeling these viruses correctly!

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 16:50:07 -0800
> To: farber () cis upenn edu (Dave Farber), neumann () csl sri com
> From: Jim Warren <jwarren () well com>
> Subject: it's time the media started labeling these viruses correctly!
>
> [Also blind-cc'ed to others.  Recirculate freely.]
>
> The media didn't call the World Trade Towers bomb, "the Ryder Truck bomb."
> They didn't call the Unibomber bombs, "US Postal Service bombs."
>
> They should stop mislabeling computer viruses by their *innocent* carrier
> -- the Internet.
>
> They should start labeling them what they are: "Microsoft Outlook Express
> virus" or "Microsoft Explorer virus" or "Microsoft Word macro virus
> (reputedly the single largest source of viruses for years!)."
>
> Or more briefly -- and accurately -- just call each one, "the latest
> Microsoft virus."
>
> Let's ask the major media, below, for some *truth* in labeling -- giving
> "credit" where credit really is due.  Let's ask them to stop shooting the
> messenger, and start naming the real origin -- the errors and dangers that
> Microsoft has built into its products for *years*.
>
> CNN:  http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
>
> CNNfn:  http://cnnfn.com/resources/email.html
>
> ABC:  http://abcnews.go.com/service/Help/abc_contactus.html
>
> CNBC:  http://www.cnbc.com/misc/feedback.asp
>
> CBS:  http://cbsnews.cbs.com/ and click on "Feedback" in the lefthand column
>
> NBC:  Nightly News, email to:  nightly () nbc com
>
> Fox: News Channel, email to:  comments () foxnews com
> Fox Digital:  email to:  comments () newsdigital com
>
> NEW YORK TIMES:  "Letters" Editor, email to:  letters () nytimes com
>
> WASHINGTON POST: email to:  webnews () washpost com
>   and click on  http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opinion/letterstotheeditor/
>
> LOS ANGELES TIMES:  http://www.latimes.com/siteservices/talk_contacts.htm
>
> WALL STREET JOURNAL: "Letters" Editor, email to:  letter.editor () edit wsj com
>
> --jim, Jim Warren; jwarren () well com
> Contributing Editor & technology public-policy columnist, MicroTimes Magazine
> Also GovAccess list-owner/editor; 345 Swett Rd, Woodside CA 94062
>   voice/650-851-7075; fax-disconnected-"for"-spam
>
> [self-inflating puff: Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award, Playboy Foundation;
> Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (in its first year);
> James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award, Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Calif
> founded InfoWorld; the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences; etc etc etc.]