Microsoft Spinning Against OpenDocument Via Fox News

srwalter writes "As previously reported, Fox News previously ran an article by James Prendergast criticizing Massachussetts for switching to OpenDocument format. Today, Fox News has distanced itself from that article significantly. In a new front page story they post several emails in defense of Massachussetts and OpenDocument in general, as well as apologize for not acknowledging that Prendergast's organization is funded by Microsoft."

Comments

Re:Government != Role Model

[Feneric]

While I agree that a government is not equal to a role model, saying that the OpenDocument standard is virtually ignored by the constituents of Massachusetts is ill-informed. Many of the individual communities in Massachusetts made the switch in advance of the Commonwealth itself; Saugus is probably the best example as it probably made the switch first and has a lot of info online:

• Saugus' official take on the change
• The take on the Saugus blog

There's more info buried within the various Saugus sites, too. This isn't a change decreed from on-high, it's got quite a bit of grassroots support as well.

OpenOffice.org can write to MSWord format as well.

[Peter Simpson]

So, if the state chooses to install OOo Writer, they can read and output not only the Open Document format, but all the legacy documents written in MSWord. For $0 per workstation. Seems like a no-brainer to this MA resident.

In this case, it would appear that someone in Massachusetts state government is trying to do the "right thing".

For another example of someone in MA state government with a clue, surf on over to http://www.mass.gov/mgis/mapping.htm and check out the free online mapping resources. I can't believe it. Usually you have to pay through the nose for current high resolution geo-referenced aerial photography. Here, MA has put it all online for free. Nice going!

Re:Politics?

[Red Flayer]

"For the record, all my liberal friends tell me constantly that Fox News is oh-so-biased and CNN is oh-so-great, without EVER citing a single example for either case."

Then your liberal friends are morons. CNN is also skewed in its coverage.

Do you want examples? Are your fingers broken? Any search engine can help you out.

If you want a biased, but truthful, look at examples of conservative bias in the media, check out http://www.mediamatters.org/

Yes, Bill O'Reilly has lambasted Media Matters on his program... which is a pretty good recommendation, for my tastes ;)

Re:Headline?

[VidEdit]

Hmmm...did Microsoft manipulate the news by funding the "think tank" that James Prendergast as executive director of Americans for Technology Leadership speaks for?

Yes.

That is the whole point of the organization. To add the false imprimatur of impartiality to Microsoft's propaganda.