Legislating for the Long Term?

[Alan Burkitt-Gray]

At 12:01 16/03/1998 +0000, you wrote:


, Louise
>Kehoe did an excellent item on Wednesday March 11th in "Inside Track",
>FT. She describes key escrow ala USA. The title is "The Encryption
>Conundrum". If anyone knows a web URL for it, then please post it!
>I'm sure she would be very amenable to doing a UK item,
>and the result is likely to be a very intelligent well balanced piece.

Doubt it. Louise is an FT correspondent on the West Coast. She started out
on Electronics Weekly a long time ago and hasn't lived in the UK for about
20 years, so is unlikely to be in touch with key people here.


>I have journalist friends in a couple of computer magazines, but there
>we are preaching to the converted again. I recommend avoiding the tabloids
>altogether. Any of this useful?
>
>Phillip.
>
>
Yes, but whom do YOU want to convert? If you need to gain influence with
computer-literate decision makers in Westminster/Whitehall and
Strasbourg/Brussels it is probably sensible to kick off with some lobbying
of the mainstream computer press (ie, Computer Weekly, Computing) plus the
computer supplements of the nationals. The general press don't speak the lingo. 
Or start with the intelligent magazine sector - Economist, maybe Spectator,
certainly New Scientist - but with some heavy pushing to build up the
snowball once it's rolling. Journalists are mainly influenced by other
journalists: the nationals will pick up stuff from the Economist or New
Scientist, TV and radio will pick up stuff from the nationals (but rarely
run with new stuff themselves). 
The glossy monthly personal computer magazines are a waste of time: they're
already working on their June issues. By the time the issues are out, the
politicos will be in Tuscany till the autumn conferences. Sort of OK for a
long-term campaign, but they are also too close to it and wouldn't be
regarded as politically heavyweight.
Alternatively you can dig around for some sympathetic MPs (MPs rather than
MEPs) and get them to ask Parliamentary Questions and generally stir things
up a bit. That will also get the press alerted if they think it's a tasty issue.


-

ALAN BURKITT-GRAY, Editor
Government Computing
The independent magazine about information age public service, 
for the people who are going to make it happen
Next issue: April 1998, despatched Wednesday 25 March
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