FITUG e.V. Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft

FC: Feds plan Y2K spin control

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
Date:          Tue, 26 Jan 1999 09:06:31 -0500
To:            politech@vorlon.mit.edu
From:          Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Subject:       FC: Feds plan Y2K spin control
Reply-to:      declan@well.com




http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/17527.html

                     Feds Plan Y2K Spin Control
                     by Declan McCullagh (declan@wired.com)

                     3:00 a.m.  26.Jan.99.PST
                     WASHINGTON -- Fears of Y2K panic have
                     prompted the federal government to
                     begin quietly preparing a media strategy
                     designed to assuage public fears of
                     blackouts or other potential infrastructure
                     failures. 

                     John Koskinen, assistant to President
                     Clinton and chairman of the White
                     House's Y2K council, has entered into
                     discussions with a public-relations firm,
                     Wired News has learned. The firm has
                     recommended conducting awareness
                     surveys and honing a "stay-calm"
                     message based on the results. 

                     [...]

                     At the council meeting, the Federal
                     Communications Commission's Marsha
                     MacBride and the US Postal Service's
                     Richard Weirich reportedly suggested a
                     federal project to monitor the public's
                     reaction to Y2K. An Agriculture
                     Department representative complained
                     that the agency's most frequent
                     telephone inquiry has become: "How
                     many cans of food should I stockpile for
                     my family?" 

                     [...]



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