The Register is saddened to have to report yet another instance of Microsoft giving preferential treatment to certain elements of the press. In today's Guardian Richard Adams (who we note has not been round to ply us with beers recently) writes that colleague Jane Martinson has received a complaint from MS spinner Mark Thomas for describing Steve Ballmer as "a chief executive who looks like Uncle Fester."

This is disgraceful. It is over two years since The Register remarked on "how much he's started to resemble Uncle Fester these days", and we still haven't received our complaint.

Not that Jane's complaint seems to have been particularly frameable. Thomas claims: "There are a lot of ways to describe Bill and Steve that are accurate but not demeaning" (There are? We think we feel a competition coming on...) "Describing Steve as Uncle Fester is just counter to every aspect of the man."

On the contrary, Mark, we'd have said describing Steve as looking like Uncle Fester was true, and quite possibly in the public interest. But you decide - take a look at Steve Ballmer's homepage and see what you think. ®