Re: Elizabeth Corcoran on MS Stealth PR

[Mitch Stone <mstone@vc.net>]

In reply to James Love's message sent 4/11/98 8:11 AM:

>I would be interested in reactions the story by Elizabeth Corcoran in
>today's Washington Post.  My initial reaction was that he story only
>briefly mentions a few of the details of the phony "astroturf" PR
>effort, doesn't use the word Stealth at all, and portrays it mostly as a
>business as usual thing that big companies and PR agencies do. 
>Elizabeth does mention that State attorneys general "were grumbling
>yesterday" about the plan, but quotes no one expressing any outrage or
>deeper concerns about campaigns of this nature (other than to indicate
>they are difficult to do).

One wonders why Microsoft feels the need to "plant" favorable articles, 
when they already get the soft cushion treatment from the press 
(presumably, for free). What is so loathsome about this sort of coverage 
is the "everybody does it" implication. It's a cynical assumption from 
the get-go that the public is so jaded that they're beyond outrage over 
abuse of virtually any kind. All of the original research in the story 
was geared to bolster this spin.

Another interesting spin is the statement that Edleman "urged" Microsoft 
to adopt the plan, but that Microsoft had not done so yet, contradicting 
the LA Times article. Is this a signal that Edleman is prepared to fall 
on its own sword for Microsoft?

Incidentally, a Microsoft mouthpiece (I believe it was Greg Shaw) was 
quoted yesterday on NPR as saying that Microsoft has no ethical problems. 
This is beginning to become a Microsoft tautology: "We do it, therefore 
it is right."

   Mitch Stone
   Editor, Boycott Microsoft
   http://www.vcnet.com/bms 
 +---
   Forsan et haec olim meminisse juvabit. (Perhaps, someday, 
   it will give us pleasure to remember this ordeal). --- Virgil