Letter to BBC World Service, Oct 18, 1999

The World Business Report has this evening provided the world's richest man with 2 minutes of unrebutted air time. What sort of journalism is it that gives a monopolist the free opportunity to sow his specious ideas without an honest attempt to articulate dissenting opinion? The segment was poorly researched and, as a professional working with the internet, I find it deeply disturbing that so little care is taken to frame what I believe are among the most important developments and issues of our time. Bill Gates' assertion that his company is only offering a better product are extremely suspect, and any journalist worth his or her salt would have challenged him on this rather than providing him with carte blanche to propagandize over the BBC's world network.