An NBC Nightly News story at the height of 1992's Michelangelo scare included an interview with a computer salesman. So says a nationally recognized computer salesman. One USA Today reporter, expecting an avalanche of calls, asked people not to tie up his phone unless he or she actually got hurt by the Michelangelo virus on its upcoming March 6 trigger date. Consider the tragic accident where actor Christopher Reeve broke his neck. The mainstream media quickly turned to spinal-injury specialists for comment.
Podiatrists can diagnose walking disorders and they easily outnumber spinal-injury specialists.
But a podiatrist offers the wrong expertise in Christopher Reeve's case. The press recognizes this difference. Interestingly, mainstream reporters sometimes quote computer-industry reporters in stories about viruses. For example, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch story mentioned earlier also included a quote from InfoWorld editor Ed Foster. Jeff Duntemann, editor of Visual Developer magazine, likens this trend to what he calls the Green Paint Factor.