Re: Nader Conference?

[Declan McCullagh <declan@pathfinder.com>]

  Erick responded in private mail and clarified.
  
  Yes, there were two (that I know of) Microsoft PR flacks in the hallways
  chatting up reporters. John Pinette, public relations manager out of
  Redmond, and a younger fellow who was with him. The younger guy might have
  been with Microsoft's PR firm. Dunno.
  
  As a reporter, I'm glad the MSFT flacks were there. They weren't intrusive,
  and they provided a good balance to the NaderFesting.
  
  Full disclosure: Pinette offered to take some of us out to dinner, a common
  practice where (depending on company policies) reporters often pay for
  their own meals. The Silicon Valley reporter crowd went drinking instead (I
  think, since they never showed). I stopped by the dinner briefly with some
  friends -- I would have stayed but I had to to a TV show at 9 pm. The only
  two reporters who I saw, though some might have showed after I left, were
  from Washington state newspapers.
  
  -Declan
  
  
  At 23:19 -0500 11/14/97, Declan McCullagh wrote:
  >Guess you weren't there. I don't understand your message, BTW. It's
  >incoherent.
  >
  >No reporters I know are aligned to the Microsoft camp. A very, very few are
  >paid by Microsoft, like MSNBC folks, but they try to do a good job of
  >critical reporting anyway. All the reporters I know -- and I know a bunch
  >-- are suspicious of the power of large corporations, including Microsoft.
  >And Microsoft's enemies too.
  >
  >-Declan
  >
  >
  >At 23:11 -0500 11/14/97, Erick Andrews wrote:
  >>On Fri, 14 Nov 1997 18:57:27 -0500 (EST), Declan McCullagh wrote:
  >>
  >>>Yep. Yesterday's panels were achingly boring. High point was the critic's
  >>>noon summit (that Ralph tried to lure reporters away from by having media
  >>>availability at the same time).
  >>>
  >><snip>
  >>
  >>Gee, Mr McCullagh, I heard that there were so many reporters there that,
  >>to be sure, Ralph Nader would have had a difficult time finding one
  >>outside those aligned to (or paid by?) the MS camp.  But then again,
  >>I wasn't there or in the aisles.
  >>
  >>Erick Andrews