Messages to the New York Times reporter in Taipei

Discussion Open Forum
1

This is a novel twist on news gathering, but it might be useful. Participate if you wish. There is now a real New York Times reporter in Taipei, sent there by the home office in NYC, to report on the SARS epidemic. Since he is here now, name is Don McNeil, and using some office in downtown Taipei as his den, let’s use this thread to deliver messages to him about how WE are perceiving SARS and at the same time, give him some feedback about his stories as they appear in his newspaper and online at www.nytimes.com

I don’t know if he is reading this forum, but I suspect he is. Let’s offer him our perspective and our feedback. Maybe some of your comments will make their way into print in the paper that prints all the news that’s fit to print.

Dear Don,
Hope you enjoy our messages.

It’s worth a try. It might be a useful way to use the Internet to help shape the news. Of course, he has his own sources and doesn’t need us. Then again, when he starts reading this, he may just include some pertinent facts we are able to channel over to him.

2

Let’s also hope he speaks Chinese. One of those New York papers sent over a reporter for the elections once and he and his “interpreter” were so loud during a press conference (her translating everything being said simultaneously as if they were the only ones in the room – annoying as hell, tape it and play it back somewhere else, for God’s sake) I almost smacked the stupid SOB over the head with my chair.

SARS is overrated.
"Flu causes between “three and five million cases of severe illness and between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths” per year, according to the WHO

3

A parachutist contributing anything useful that isn’t just 99% a rehash of the available press releases of the day? I’ll believe it when I read it. :unamused:
Unless its Jayson Blair – that would be interesting!

4

Sandie, don’t mention Jason Blair!