Reporters excluded from Microsoft event next month

Ina Fried of All Things D reports that Microsoft is not inviting business reporters to its Sept. 19 financial analyst meeting.

Fried writes, “That’s not, of course, due to a lack of interest in the future of the software giant. Rather, the company has decided for the first time in recent memory to bar the press from attending the event. Instead, Redmond says that reporters, like the public, can watch via Webcast.

“There have always been various rules for the reporters allowed to cover the event — only the financial guys get to ask questions, only the formal presentations are on the record, etc. Heck, some years there have even been rules about which tables reporters can eat lunch at. But at least journalists could watch the back-and-forth between Microsoft executives and the analysts and investors who follow the company.

“And, what with the CEO stepping down, PC sales tanking and the company in the midst of a massive reorganization, presumably that banter might be of interest to those following the company.

“Microsoft has also been shifting away from even having the financial analyst meeting. What was once a standalone event each July has become something of a wild card.”

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