News coverage from around the country

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A sampling of how newspapers covered the Senate Report. Some of the papers I checked had no story at all, but it was 4:30 AM EST when I checked :( USA Today
Health care least ready for Y2K bug
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Washington Post
Y2K Dangers Abroad Bring a Warning
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
Congress focuses on threats from computer failures
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New York Times
Congress Told of Progress on Solutions to Year 2000
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KC Star
Senate committee cites possible areas of Y2K concern
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L.A. Times
Senate Committee Warns of Overseas Y2K Disruptions
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Dallas Morning News
Senate report on Y2K cites progress in U.S.
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Chicago Tribune
Senate: Doctors offices not ready for Y2K
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Senate moves to help small businesses cope with computer failures
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San Jose Mercury News
Y2K may spark unrest, economic pain -US Senate


-- Online2Much (ready_for_y2k@mindspring.com), March 03, 1999

Answers

It's great that so many papers are covering this, but it's also sad that we care so much, and that we care what they say.

Wouldn't it be nice if the cover letter to the report said, "Here it is. We're not going to tell you what it means. We've organized it as well as we could, and we checked the facts as best we could. However, we Senators wouldn't recognize a computer if we fell over one, and much of the information about Y2K progress and status is self-reported, so take it all with a grain of salt -- things could be worse than they appear in the report.

Read it yourself, all 160 pages, and figure out what it means to you. There will be a test 303 days from now."

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), March 03, 1999.


Well, the San Jose paper read the executive summary, the rest just listened to the dog and pony show.

Is literacy a requirement for being a newspaper editor or reporter, or do they just need a good grade in "Sound Bites 101?"

-- De (dealton@concentric.net), March 03, 1999.


The report speaks so plainly for itself, to me, but obviously it doesn't for many people.

Heard this morning on WWDB talk radio the host going over today's news headlines and one of them was "Y2K senate report is good news, most government agencies are doing well with remediations". Haven't listened to the rest as I was busy getting the kids to school.

I'm sure many mothers feel relieved now, after this scare on CNN yesterday. Back to normal routine. Today's big scare; the fluoride in the water which is so toxic to kids.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), March 03, 1999.


When the public finally realizes what is going on (this will be about the same time the store shelves start emptying) and crying out to the government, the government is going to be able to answer, "We have been telling you. Remeber the press realeses and How About the Senate Report. It told how bad things were going to be."

Unfortunately, with bad tv/newspapaer reporting and few people reading the report itself, the Y2k picture is tainted. But the FACT still remains, the government did make the information public. They have covered their hineys.

-- Linda A. (adahi@muhlon.com), March 03, 1999.


Front-page headline from my area's newspaper:

"Senate panel sees Y2K chaos abroad"

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), March 03, 1999.



Durham Herald-Sun. AP article under section entitled "Washington," page 6A, maybe 9 column inches of text: "Senators issue report on threat of Year 2000 computer failures." In the penultimate pareagraph, benent is quoted as saying there was real reason to worry abuot oil imports. Few people around here care what Washington does so I suspect the article will mostly go unread, particularly as its topic seems to be computers.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), March 03, 1999.

Kevin (mixesmusic) and I read the same disappointing newspaper. I wrote a little more about its coverage on the "After the first 35 pages" thread below.

-- Pearlie Sweetcake (storestuff@home.now), March 03, 1999.

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