All, Representing only my personal opinion, I sent the following email to RTE following their inclusion of the Vista release on the main evening news at 9o'clock. As yet, I don't know (because I didn't see) if the request to cut the item from subsequent broadcasts was done (offhand I'd suspect not). But I felt that without representing any organisation, I should make the point I made, knowing what I know. As I write, two days later, there has been no response other than the scrap I've attached below, but I think it's important that we challenge the sources of [mis]information, ideally collectively. Going to be biased here and ask, did they cover gNewSense? Opensoursing of Solaris? Software Patents? Anything else we stand for? Maybe we need to be more aggressive as an organisation on this front, in the same way that Geldof challenged Governments and not individuals with Live8!! Something to think about and possibly discuss. Mel OK - Here's what I sent on Wednesday... (from just myself)
Subject: Shame on RTE for promoting Windows Vista Dear Sir/Madam, It is bad enough that Microsoft have so corrupted the supply channels that vendors will not tell their customers about "free software", and as a result of their appalling products, spawned both the Anti-Virus and Anti-spyware industries, and yet, they have their predatory business practices advertised for free on the main evening news. Where was RTE news when the battle against Software Patents in Europe was in full swing? Where are RTE news now when Microsoft are attempting to fast-track their non-standard OO-XML through the international standards organisation vetting procedures? Microsoft lawyers are the best in the world, otherwise the company simply wouldn't exist, and have used their influence to corrupt and distort public opinion. They don't need the help of RTE news. RTE news would serve it's viewers far better by visiting http://ifso.ie/ and listening to (in particular) the talks by Richard Stallman, and by educating themselves by viewing http://ffii.org/ in particular http://webshop.ffii.org/ - and subsequently cease and desist from advertising the arrival of new resource-hungry spyware. I hope there is somebody within your newsroom educated and competant enough in these matters to effect an immediate cessation to advertising this anti-consumer menace, preferably before the late-night news broadcasts. Kind regards Mel McWeeney PS: If nobody still working in the studio is informed about these issues, please cut this item from subsequent news. And if still in doubt, search Google for the keywords "Microsoft FUD". My search, one minute ago revealed (on a standard Google Search: "Results 1 - 10 of about 1,410,000 for Microsoft FUD. (0.21 seconds)". I will leave you to work out what FUD stands for, but for many it's a real word. If almost 1.5 million posts have been made about an issue, the public should be told, or at least, the perpretrator not freely advertised!!
Subject: RE: Shame on RTE for promoting Windows Vista From: "Complaints Review" complaints.review@rte.ie Date: Wed, January 31, 2007 5:09 pm To: "Mel McWeeney" <different email account> Cc: "Newsdesk Account" Newsdesk@rte.ie Priority: Normal Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version | View Message details | View as HTML
Dear Mr McWeeney, Your e-mail is being forwarded to the RTÉ Newsdesk for information.
With best regards Nina Ward RTÉ Information Officer
Hi folks
If free software is to be associated with great community values and with good software which people can use, that is the message we need to send.
Imagine if the message sent did not suggest that the journalists were bad or uninformed but gave them the information about great community and software which could be used as a counterpoint story.
Imagine if it was a cooperative farmer sending in a complaint that the news folk know nothing about crop rotation in response to an article which a commercial supplier had sent with nice pictures and good copy.
We have a lot to offer. Sometimes it is easy to forget to offer it in a way which is news palatable. Short interesting facts and images which would be interesting to non computer folk. Take a mob to see happy feet and give out software or someone is bound to be doing computer recycling and giving to folks - nice human interest stuff. We need to offer the alternative.
I do it too. In fact I am a shocker at having a good rant. But I am trying to reform =) Sometimes advocacy and passion are hard to unpack to the point that we make best impact. I am trying to test things on my mum. If she doesnt get it then I am still wide of the mark, or speaking in a fossy way which wont make an impression on folks who dont get crop rotation.
Pia Waugh once said when we were talking about penguin designs that we do not make evil penguins. She is great at doing good press stuff on foss. This is Pia's personal blog but follow the posts down for some great interviews. http://pipka.org/blog/ She did one in a newspaper with sword which was nifty but I havent found it. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1585810409;pp;1
Cheers
Janet
Well done! It's a good point, but from the point of view of the journalist, it's not 100% useful.
As a serial complainer, can I advise:
1) First paragraph should be a neutral statement of the offending programme/content (I am writing to express my unhappiness with the contents of the Tuesday 1st March episode of Prime Time, and in particular the item on goat-chasing presented by Olivia O'Leary at approximately 9.55pm). Name the journalist and give some precision.
2) Don't assume prior knowledge, as these emails tend to end up with a sub-editor or audience relations rather than the specialised journalists on a particular story. There is zero chance in hell that anyone reading this would know was "non-standard OO-XML" is.
3) Where possible, try and quote from the broadcaster's specific obligations (customer charter, statement of principles) or the professional code (NUJ, etc). It gets noticed :-P
4) Give pointers for further reading, good summaries (from credible sources) and offer to give further advice if desired.
Hope this helps.
Remember that complaints can be made to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC) and in fact, bias in current affairs shows is a frequent topic of complaint (there was a series of problems with interviews with psychics and lots of internicine battles between different branches of the 'profession' that caused lots of business for the BCC). Making a BCC complaint is easy and just requires a form, specifiying which element of the various codes are the subject of the alleged breach.
Daithí
PS I don't think asking a journalist to search for confirming evidence through giving them a Google term helps the case (although again it's a very good point - would be better expressed by, for example, providing a link to a solid news story (i.e. from a source that RTÉ would respect) showing how the FUD campaign has been picked up/criticised by other news outlets).
On 2 Feb 2007, at 23:19, Mel McWeeney wrote:
All, Representing only my personal opinion, I sent the following email to RTE following their inclusion of the Vista release on the main evening news at 9o'clock. As yet, I don't know (because I didn't see) if the request to cut the item from subsequent broadcasts was done (offhand I'd suspect not). But I felt that without representing any organisation, I should make the point I made, knowing what I know. As I write, two days later, there has been no response other than the scrap I've attached below, but I think it's important that we challenge the sources of [mis]information, ideally collectively. Going to be biased here and ask, did they cover gNewSense? Opensoursing of Solaris? Software Patents? Anything else we stand for? Maybe we need to be more aggressive as an organisation on this front, in the same way that Geldof challenged Governments and not individuals with Live8!! Something to think about and possibly discuss. Mel OK - Here's what I sent on Wednesday... (from just myself)
Subject: Shame on RTE for promoting Windows Vista Dear Sir/Madam, It is bad enough that Microsoft have so corrupted the supply channels that vendors will not tell their customers about "free software", and as a result of their appalling products, spawned both the Anti-Virus and Anti-spyware industries, and yet, they have their predatory business practices advertised for free on the main evening news. Where was RTE news when the battle against Software Patents in Europe was in full swing? Where are RTE news now when Microsoft are attempting to fast-track their non-standard OO-XML through the international standards organisation vetting procedures? Microsoft lawyers are the best in the world, otherwise the company simply wouldn't exist, and have used their influence to corrupt and distort public opinion. They don't need the help of RTE news. RTE news would serve it's viewers far better by visiting http://ifso.ie/ and listening to (in particular) the talks by Richard Stallman, and by educating themselves by viewing http://ffii.org/ in particular http:// webshop.ffii.org/ - and subsequently cease and desist from advertising the arrival of new resource-hungry spyware. I hope there is somebody within your newsroom educated and competant enough in these matters to effect an immediate cessation to advertising this anti-consumer menace, preferably before the late- night news broadcasts. Kind regards Mel McWeeney PS: If nobody still working in the studio is informed about these issues, please cut this item from subsequent news. And if still in doubt, search Google for the keywords "Microsoft FUD". My search, one minute ago revealed (on a standard Google Search: "Results 1 - 10 of about 1,410,000 for Microsoft FUD. (0.21 seconds)". I will leave you to work out what FUD stands for, but for many it's a real word. If almost 1.5 million posts have been made about an issue, the public should be told, or at least, the perpretrator not freely advertised!!
Subject: RE: Shame on RTE for promoting Windows Vista From: "Complaints Review" complaints.review@rte.ie Date: Wed, January 31, 2007 5:09 pm To: "Mel McWeeney" <different email account> Cc: "Newsdesk Account" Newsdesk@rte.ie Priority: Normal Options: View Full Header | View Printable Version | View Message details | View as HTML
Dear Mr McWeeney, Your e-mail is being forwarded to the RTÉ Newsdesk for information.
With best regards Nina Ward RTÉ Information Officer _______________________________________________ fsfe-ie@fsfeurope.org mailing list List information: http://mail.fsfeurope.org/pipermail/fsfe-ie Public archive: https://mail.fsfeurope.org/mailman/listinfo/fsfe-ie
-- Daithí Mac Síthigh
school: http://www.tcd.ie/Law/DaithiMacSithigh blog: http://www.lexferenda.com telephone: +353 86 819 3881 email: macsithd@tcd.ie