Yes, we are Microsoft-news heavy. Big surprise. This is PC Expo, and Microsoft is again trying to dominate the show. We have an obligation to report what a vendor says. IBM didn't say anything about OS/2? Well, get on IBM's case. Sun didn't release any Sparcstations yesterday? Sorry, I imagine it didn't want to get swamped by the Intel NetPC blitz.
The president gets more Page 1 articles in the NY Times than the Superintendent of schools. Yet, it is the superintendent of schools who may play a more direct role in NY residents' lives.
The media gets squeezed between this rock and hard place. Deliver what is hot and glitzy and be perceived as superficial or deliver substance and be perceived as the news slugs. Our job is to deliver news. If we select articles to play based on what we think the majority of our readers value -- and in the process don't report on important issues in other areas -- we are blamed for bias. We publish stories on a deadline when with a few more hours reporting, more information or better analysis could be delivered. It is an imperfect process, but InfoWorld is far from alone in making editorial decisions by asking the questions: Who is going to be most interested in this information and what portion of our readers need to know this information.
Rachel Parker
Guest Host
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