psrc@pegasus.att.com (Paul S. R. Chisholm) (05/25/90)
In article <8066@accuvax.nwu.edu> jet@karazm.math.uh.edu (j. eric townsend) writes: > If you are asked to give an interview on say, PBX security, offer to > review the reporter's story before they submit it. In article <8120@accuvax.nwu.edu> somebody wrote: > In connection with the times I sat for interviews regarding the > Internet Worm, I always offered just such a service. Almost > uniformly, the response was a semi-hostile glare followed by "our > editors have a policy of not allowing our stories to be censored." In article <8166@accuvax.nwu.edu>, jet@karazm.math.uh.edu (j. eric townsend) suggests some nicer ways of putting this, so you won't be accused of censorship. (Make it an offer, and make it clear that you only want to help them get the technology right.) I've written a few articles for PC MAGAZINE. This mostly bi-weekly periodical runs under a *much* looser schedule than a daily newspaper (thanks to Tom Neff for the description of what newspapers are like). Reviewers were required to summarize the factual statements, and go over them with the vendors; e-mailing the draft, or reading over the phone, was standard practice. There was *no* requirement to let the vendors challenge a writer's opinions or conclusions. It did take some time when I had to work around a PR flack. If I had a good technical contact (who was *allowed* to answer such questions from the press), it only took a few minutes. Paul S. R. Chisholm, AT&T Bell Laboratories att!pegasus!psrc, psrc@pegasus.att.com, AT&T Mail !psrchisholm The above is a statement of fact about one company's practice at one time, and possibly today. "PC", believe it or not, is a registered trademark of Ziff Communications Co., as is "PC Magazine".