This is something I’ve never done before… posted an entry and then changed it completely later the same day. The following is a re-thought entry about the same topic, but a bit more balanced.
I like to peruse the technology news page of the BBC’s news site as I find it one of the best ways to find out what Microsoft are up to and how it’s being positioned to the public. I do subscribe to a couple of Microsoft-centric newsfeeds, but the BBC’s news site is one of the most read on the planet, so it’s important to see what’s going on there.
We’ve had several heated conversations in the office about the fact that Microsoft seem to get a lot of coverage on BBC News… too much, way too much in my opinion. Around the time of the launch of Windows Vista it seemed that BBC News was like Microsoft’s own PR agency and news service rolled into one. To be fair, some other companies get a lot of focus… Apple for example, and I’ll admit to double-standards and say that I don’t have a problem with Apple getting a lot of airtime. IBM get very little coverage in comparison to Microsoft, and the Lotus brand get next to nothing (do a search on Microsoft and IBM and compare the results).
I took this conversation further on a couple of occasions. Shortly before the launch of Sametime 7.5 there were security restrictions and all kinds of problems at the airports in the UK, and I considered how relevant real-time collaboration was. Surely the market leader in real-time collaboration bringing out a new version and tackling some of the issues of business travel was news-worthy. Well, apparently not, yet at that time Internet Explorer 7 was getting a lot of coverage.
The drivers behind what the BBC decide to cover have been explained to me – basically what the BBC think their readership would be interested in and what has a broad appeal. Microsoft and Apple are news-worthy. I was told that “the BBC don’t do product announcements” but I blatantly disagreed with this. Have a read of this article and see if you think it’s tantamount to a product announcement. And to be fair, Apple get the same treatment. Think about that idea of what the BBC’s readership would be interested in… are they given the opportunity to be interested in other options when other software vendors aren’t granted an equal shout? Lotus Symphony, a free alternative to Microsoft Office, should be of interest to consumers and businesses – not just because it’s free but also because of the importance of the Open Document Format. However, there has been no coverage of Symphony.
The one that really had me ranting (I know, hard to believe) was a few years ago when the Beeb ran a story about Microsoft outlining the future of e-mail. They mentioned that Microsoft would introduce e-mail which couldn’t be forwarded or copied to another recipient. At the time of that article that capability had been in Lotus Notes for a few years already, yet Microsoft were getting the credit for a future vision. Microsoft the great visionaries? No, just a case of Microsoft getting the airtime.
So, with this in mind (and here’s the point of all this), they’re offering you the opportunity to post questions for Bill Gates, “one of the most important men in technology over the last three decades”. The man who invented oxygen, food, television and, of course, the internet.
The BBC deliberates your line of questioning… “Perhaps you have always wanted to know what the inspiration was behind Windows. Maybe you want to know what it is like being one of the world’s richest men. Or maybe you are more interested in the philanthropic career he has planned after he steps down.”
I know the answer to what was the inspiration behind Windows… it was the Apple Mac operating system. And as interesting as all those other questions sound, I’d just like to know about the roadmap for Microsoft Exchange (as it’s clearly too big a secret to share with the world). And actually I asked that one (can’t see it being selected), and just for fun I also asked “how many Zunes have you sold and when will you admit that Apple are just completely kicking your backside in that market?”.
The BBC have a charter which includes impartiality, so surely this means that Sam Palmisano will be next week’s guest question-answerer, followed by, oooh, perhaps Larry Ellison the week after. Maybe Steve Jobs (well, that wouldn’t surprise me). But probably not.
Darren, glad you got this one down in writing – i know that we have discussed the issue in person a couple of times in the past. I completely agree with your summary – the BBC is supposed to be impartial, and in the case of technology, most definitely is not.
Have you considered writing directly to the Beeb, or indeed to James Purnell (Sec of State for Culture, Media and Sport) or Margaret Hodge (Minister for Culture and Media)?
Here here. The BBC tech news is SO Micrsoft-centric it’s ridiculous.
If you want to do things properly, as per Stuart’s suggestion, these might be good places to start …
http://bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/contact/index.html
http://bbc.co.uk/info/running/executive/
I’ll email you separately with some other suggestions.
I think it sucks too. But let’s get real. Arsenal gets more coverage than Brentford. It’s just life. The BBC is not Slashdot or The Register. They report what they consider to be of interest to their basically non-technical audience.
We shouldn’t shoot them, we should educate them.
Ports, I understand the BBC’s rationale about what they choose to focus on, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’m not going to say too much here because I’ve been having (heated) discussions with our PR people about how to solve the issue and improve our representation.
The impression people get that Microsoft are the one-and-only great innovator will only continue with stuff like this… http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7174333.stm
I seem to remember that Pete had a pop at the Beeb a while back and even wrote to them. I think the response he got back was pretty poor.
I’ve even emailed them about it on a couple of occasions and asked why they’re so obsessed with Microsoft – and are they lining their pockets. As you can imagine, I didn’t get a particularly good response. So I gave up. If it annoys me, there’s always Sky News. They’ll report on anything.
It would seem that a lot of other people feel the same way:
“Perhaps much because Gates had to be idolised as the Great Software Magician which he most likely is not”
“Instead of toadying up to Gates, as usual…”
“So Vista has sold 100 million licenses. But how many of those were actually chosen by the purchasers? It’s virtually impossible to buy a computer that doesn’t have Vista installed. Given a choice between XP and Vista I suggest that most PC-literates would choose XP. I’m going to start looking at Linux.”
“Windows users believe the next version of Windows will fix all the problems they have faced with the current release, only to be disappointed time and again.”
“I doubt that Bill has a lot to laugh about. The iPhone seems to be quite well recieved and is selling well. Vista on the other hand…”
Check it out…
http://bbc.co.uk/blogs/technology/2008/01/bill_gates_you_asked_the_quest_1.html
Very much agree. BBC Morning TV had an item on this morning about the Bill interview which boiled down to “fall to your knees, the great man approaches”.
Now I would pay double my licence fee to see a well-briefed Jeremy Paxman give Bill a real interview.
Mike
I see part of the Bill interview was on BBC News last night…again. While he was demonstrating that horrendous touch screen thing I was just urging it to blue screen.
I have to say in Microsoft’s defence that the touch screen thing (Surface) is pretty cool, and actually VERY cool when the phone goes on the table and the surface recognises it. But then you have to ask yourself, who did they nick that idea from?
Instead of approaching Auntie directly, why not try to coach individual journalists responsible for those pieces? I tried this approach when I found it too much reading a piece on the 2004 US presidential election too much (too many Bush/Republican talking points). I got a polite email back from the journalist responsible thanking me. Not sure how much good it did… But the personal, reasoned approach can also work.
Think of it, how would an approach to big blue work? Where would that get to, as opposed to comments directed at you or Ed Brill…?
Unfortunately I have to rely on our PR people – I’m not permitted to make any approach to a journalist without going thru them. The campaign down that path is ongoing.