Is Y2K Hitting The Front Page Newsmedia This Weekend?

As other threads have just noted, is there a Y2K newsmedia reporting trend developing this holiday weekend?

If anyone sees a front page article dealing with Y2K, could you please post the links here? (Its useful info to jog the home town papers with in a Why arent you guys reporting on Y2K? e-mail salvo).

Thanks, Diane

So Far:

New York Times -- Front Page http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/11/biztech/articles/27bene.html November 27, 1998 Computer Trouble Looms For States In 2000, U.S. Discovers

USA Today Headline: Pentagon fudged Y2K readiness http://www.usatoday.com/hlead.htm 11/26/98- Updated 10:23 PM ET Nuclear weapons agency acknowledges it exaggerated Year 2000 computer fixes.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 27, 1998

Answers

Diane:

A repeat from another thread::

WTAM 1100 (a LARGE Clear chanel Radio Station which covers "38 states and half of Canada" starts their Y2K series Monday, at various times. It is titled "Y2K, Count down to Chaos??" Chuck

-- Chuck a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), November 27, 1998.

PS They are available somewhere on teh net, I've just never had to look for them.

CR

-- Chuck etc (rienzoo@en.com), November 27, 1998.

FINALLY!!!!

San Jose Mercury News Web-site Breaking News http://www.sjmercury.com/breaking/ Posted at 8:07 a.m. PST Friday, November 27, 1998 States lag in preparing computers for 2000 NEW YORK (AP) -- Welfare, Medicaid, unemployment checks and other types of benefit payments will likely be delayed unless states accelerate efforts to prepare their computer systems for 2000, The New York Times reported today...

And...

11/27/98 http://www.sjmercury.com/breaking/docs/005182.htm Stores fail to tell buyers about software Y2K problems If you think your year-2000 problems won't begin until Jan. 1, 2000, think again: They're already here, perhaps as close as the nearest shopping mall. At some of the biggest and best-known home electronics stores, consumers are being given false assurances that new home computers will operate into 2000 without a glitch, Wisconsin consumer protection officials have concluded after an undercover investigation of computer sales practices.... (As reported in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

[Gotta love that newsmedia Y2K domino effect! -- Diane]

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 27, 1998.

WTAM-AM 1100 CLEVELAND, OH NEWS-TALK News radio WTAM-AM, the flagship station of the Cleveland Indians and owned by Covington-based Jacor Communications

Chuck, cant find a web-site on them. Anyone in the Cleveland Ohio area know what times on Monday they are reporting on "Y2K, Count down to Chaos??" -- Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 27, 1998.

http://www.gallery.uunet.be/internetpress/american.htm

Real Interesting site for listing all of U.S. media!! Some of the links arent up-to-date but a least you can find the names of local newspapers and radio stations around the country. -- Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 27, 1998.

WHOOPS! posted to the wrong thread. This, then, is a repeat of the other "Breaking News Today." Akron Beacon Journal, front page top headline about computer problems and Y2K. Don't subscribe to this paper, just saw it in the grocery store line. The article was from the New York Times (can't remember the author).

-- Christine A. Newbie (vaganti01@aol.com), November 27, 1998.

Rather looks like the newsmedia watches one another to see whos reporting what on Y2K. All it takes is one, or two, and so on. -- Diane

San Francisco Examiner News Stories Friday, Nov. 27, 1998 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article-list.cgi?key=NEWS&directory=/ examiner/archive/1998/11/27 NATION DATELINES 2000 bug likely to delay benefits

New York Welfare, Medicaid, unemployment checks and other types of benefit payments will likely be delayed unless states accelerate efforts to prepare their computer systems for 2000, the New York Times reported Friday.

Only one-third of the 421 computer systems used for seven major health, welfare and nutrition programs is ready, the newspaper said, citing a recent General Accounting Office report.

Failure to fix the computer bug "could result in billions of dollars not being delivered," the report said.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 28, 1998.

It wasn't on the front page. But, on the back page of the main section of the November 28, 1998 issue of "The Courier-Journal" is an article called, "Pentagon discovers year 2000 tests lacking at U.S. weapons agency."

The article is 14 paragraphs. That would make it one of the largest Y2K articles that the C-J has ever carried.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), November 28, 1998.

Links Kevin?

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 28, 1998.

Diane: Kevin:

FWIW, the phone has already rung twice this morning regarding headlines in the local press (DoD topic). offline until tonight. cheers.

-- Rob MIchaels (sonofdust@net.com), November 28, 1998.

Although not precisely what Id call national newsmedia, the Federal Computer Week is worth a look at http://www.fcw.com. Heads up Salt Lake City. -- Diane

Y2K: 4 agencies critical NOVEMBER 23, 1998 http://www.fcw.com/pubs/fcw/1998/1123/fcw-frnty2k-11-23-1998.html

Internal reports show some likely to miss March deadline BY ORLANDO De BRUCE (orlando_debruce@fcw.com)

Four of the seven agencies that the Clinton administration identified this summer as critically behind in fixing key computer systems for the Year 2000 still have not made much progress and are in danger of missing the deadline for having systems fixed, according to some agency reports obtained by Federal Computer Week.

The departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Energy and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have fixed slightly more than half of the computers that the agencies identified as critical to their missions, according to Year 2000 reports submitted to the Office of Management and Budget this month. The slow progress leaves the agencies far behind OMB's Sept. 30 deadline for having systems fixed and likely to miss the Jan. 31, 1999, deadline for testing the systems...

... DOD, which has the largest number of mission-critical systems of any agency, has fixed 53 percent of its 2,581 mission-critical computer systems, according to the Year 2000 report that DOD submitted to OMB. DOE has fixed 50 percent of its 420 mission-critical systems, according to its most recent report ...

... OMB uses these reports, along with reports from 20 other agencies, to compile its quarterly reports on the government's progress in readying its computers for the Year 2000. Sources expect OMB to release its next report, the seventh since February 1997, after Thanksgiving ...

... The DOD report shows that in some cases DOD continues to fall further behind in its remediation efforts. The number of mission- critical systems that have fallen at least two months behind the internal DOD schedule for fixes increases from 51 to 65 systems when intelligence community systems are included. DOD reported two systems designed to control the incineration of chemical warfare agents at the Army's Tooele Depot, 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, will not be compliant until Oct. 30, 1999...

... Art Money, DOD's senior civilian official told White House Year 2000 czar John Koskinen in a letter attached to the report that the "leading obstacles'' in resolving the Pentagon's Year 2000 problems include the "massive coordination'' effort required for an enterprise the size of DOD as well as "interfaces across agency or governmental boundaries.''

Echoing a point made by Defense Secretary William Cohen in August, Money raised the possibility of a moratorium on all other DOD IT programs. "It is recommended that programs to achieve Year 2000 compliance take priority over all other information technology initiatives until at least Jan. 1, 2001, even if this requires delaying or placing a temporary moratorium on other initiatives...''

... The Health Care Financing Administration, which manages Medicare, is one of the HHS bureaus furthest behind in fixing its systems ... "HCFA is a total disaster. It is poorly managed," said a congressional staff member who works on Year 2000 issues...

And ...

NOVEMBER 25, 1998 . . . 16:01 EDT GAO: DOD satellite comm problems loom http://www.fcw.com/pubs/fcw/1998/1123/web-dodsat-11-25-98.html

BY DANIEL VERTON (dan_verton@fcw.com)

The Defense Department's multi-billion dollar satellite communications network that provides critical messaging and voice communications during times of war soon may be incapable of lending adequate support to nuclear and tactical forces, according to a General Accounting Office report...

And...

NOVEMBER 25, 1998 . . . 15:40 EDT Army delays Y2K fixes at chemical demilitarization facility http://www.fcw.com/pubs/fcw/1998/1123/web-nervey2k-11-25-98.html

BY BOB BREWIN (antenna@fcw.com)

The Army has delayed fixes designed to fix Year 2000 date-code bugs in computer systems that control a Utah facility that destroys nerve gas munitions. The fixes have been delayed until the end of October 1999 because the Army does not want to interfere with ongoing disposal operations at the facility.

The facility, the Tooele Chemical Demilitarization plant at the Tooele Army Depot, 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah, is one of three the Army uses to destroy tons of nerve gas and other chemical agents...

And ...

Y2K: Feds Spot Vulnerable Unemployment Programs http://www.civic.com/news/1998/1123_98.htm#unemp NOVEMBER 23, 1998

State employment insurance programs may be a bellwether for governments trying to project Year 2000 failures...

[civic.com is for IT professionals in state and local government]

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 28, 1998.

Ya just gotta love how all this stuff bounces around! A Y2K media ping-pong ball. -- Diane

Published Saturday, November 28, 1998, in the San Jose Mercury News http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/nation/docs/nukes28.htm

Arms agency skipped 2000 test Pentagon audit foresees computer `disruptions'

New York Times

WASHINGTON -- The agency responsible for managing the nation's stockpile of nuclear weapons told the Pentagon last summer that it had no year 2000 bugs in three of its most important computer systems, but auditors say those systems were never independently tested.

The Defense Special Weapons Agency defended its actions by saying in a letter dated Sept. 30 that it was not required to test the systems under Pentagon rules in force this summer when it made the report.

The Pentagon inspector general's office, in an audit released on Oct. 30, reported that the agency had listed three computer systems in the category of ``mission-critical'' as ready for the year 2000 even without independent testing. The auditors said that unless the agency made further progress, it ``may be unable to execute its mission without undue disruptions.'' The audit was first reported Friday in USA Today.

Friday, Pentagon officials said that while a malfunction of the computer systems would cause problems, the computers do not control nuclear-weapons use.

The Defense Special Weapons Agency, absorbed last month into the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, manages nuclear-weapons stockpiles and helps cope with nuclear-weapons accidents. It is also charged with maintaining the scientific expertise to ensure advanced conventional systems, nuclear systems, and command and control systems will continue to operate if nuclear war is threatened or occurs, the auditors said.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 28, 1998.

This wasn't Front Page but it was this week in the L.A. Times and the article mentions Ed Yourdon as a Y2K resource. -- Diane

http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/CUTTING/t000107076.1.html Los Angeles Times

Monday, November 23, 1998

Y2K Web Sites: Doom, Gloom and a Free Screen Saver By ASHLEY DUNN, Times Staff Writer

The amount of information on the Internet about the year 2000 computer problem is reaching stratospheric levels, and growing every day. Wading through the wash of information is like facing an AltaVista hit list on the keywords "sex" and "Internet."

You want Armageddon? No problem. Journey to Y2KChaos (http:// www.y2kchaos.com), a Web site dedicated to helping people survive if there is a global meltdown because of the year 2000 problem. ...

... But for all the confusion about the issue, the sites provide a wealth of information compared with the situation a year or two ago, when there was almost no information available on the problem. The trick is to sort through the garbage to find the most worthwhile sites that can illuminate some corner of this gangling global problem...

... The haziness of information on the year 2000 is one of the reasons such a healthy crop of pundits has sprouted on the issue. Most of them are alarmists to some degree, so you have to exercise some personal judgment, but they all try to make some sense out of the flood of stray information on the bug. Edward Yardeni (http://www.yardeni.com), chief economist of Deutsche Bank Securities in New York, Peter de Jager (http://www.year2000.com) and Ed Yourdon (http://www.yourdon.com) are some of the most prominent speakers on the issue...

Times staff writer Ashley Dunn can be reached via e-mail at ashley.dunn@latimes.com.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 28, 1998.

Thanks Arlin, for pointing this out on the "What is going on? Is awareness shifting up?" thread. Even though its lousy reporting it is an indicator the the awareness dial is increasing. -- Diane

International Herald Tribune http://www.iht.com/IHT/TODAY/FRI/FPAGE/bug.html Paris, Friday, November 27, 1998 With 400 Days Left to Fix the Millennium Bug, It's Crunch Time

By Tom Buerkle International Herald Tribune

LONDON - When the year 2000 computer problem gained wide recognition a couple of years ago, the first reaction was disbelief that a computer's inability to distinguish 2000 from1900 could seriously disrupt modern life.

Subsequently, companies and governments around the globe have spent tens of billions of dollars to replace computers, rewrite decades-old software and test their equipment and operating systems. But with only 400 days to go to 2000, there is a growing realization that time is quickly running out.

So today, governments and industry no longer talk simply about fixing the millennium bug. They are actively preparing contingency plans to keep vital operations going as best as they can if and when problems arise.

''At this point in time, we can say with assurance there are people who aren't going to make it,'' said Michael Powell, a commissioner at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.

''We're definitely past the period of where you're going to solve the problem. We're into mitigation.'' ....

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 28, 1998.

Diane,

There are no links on the Courier-Journal story. Their web site is mostly promotional and movie reviews and weekend events. Very little news yet.

The title of the story came straight from the paper, which was in my hand. News the old-fashioned way...

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), November 28, 1998.

Ah yes, the old paper trail way of getting news. Actually this morning I'll walk downtown, check out the local farmer's market then settle down at the cafe latte shop with a print version of the San Jose Mercury News. If they don't have a good article coving Y2K today, boy will they hear from my e-mail tonight!

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), November 29, 1998.

Diane (Rick T. also)

- this is what I meant before about "the national press" copying-catting each other only AFTER they have figured out that they (the local press) won't get embarressed by the national press by discussing a story. Everybody follows the leader in the news business - and now "the leaders" have started to decide to start to cover Y2K outside the "kookie survivialist right wing Christian conspiracy" scenario they had used before. But that trend is still there, also as these stories mentioned.

Interesting is that the first focus of these stories is government failure - they still don't see industrial (refinery, chemical processing, and power systems) failure yet. Nothing real strong yet on the financial impact of the loss of power and infrastructure.

Notice that this forum got mentioned several times - I supose we should get a spell-checker about now, eh?

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 29, 1998.