Reluare duminică, 13 martie 2005

Under Bush, a New Age of Prepackaged TV News

Date: 13 March 2005

By David Barstow and Robin Stein

David Barstow

At least 20 agencies have made and distributed hundreds of television news segments under Bush administration; many were broadcast on local stations without any acknowledgement of government's role in their production; law contains provisions to prevent domestic dissemination of government propaganda but line between facts and propaganda is easily blurred; administration sees 'good news' segments as powerful tools for shaping public opinion; photos (L)

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News or Propaganda?

Date: 14 March 2005

By Sierra Prasada Millman and Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer

Sierra Millman

In this lesson, students discuss objectivity and press responsibility. They work in small groups to explore the article in depth, guided by reading comprehension and critical thinking questions, then jigsaw to share what they have learned with each other. For homework, they write letters to their local affiliates expressing their opinions on federally packaged video news segments.

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NEWS SUMMARY

Date: 13 March 2005

INTERNATIONAL 3-22 Iraqi Weapons Were Looted Looters dismantled and removed machinery from weapons installations after Baghdad fell in 2003, including some with equipment capable of making parts for nuclear arms. An Iraqi official said it appeared that a operation made the plants its targets, looking for dual use equipment, which can be used for both military and civilian applications. 1 Gunmen in Mosul killed three Iraqi police officers as they drove to a colleague's funeral. In Baghdad, American military officials said they had begun an investigation into the possible mistreatment of civilian detainees by six marines. 20 The Iraqi insurgency appears to have mounted a full-scale propaganda war. Most militant groups now rely on the Web to recruit new adherents, but the recent flurry of propaganda from Iraq has a distinctly defensive sound. 22 Syrian Lebanon Withdrawal President Bashar al-Assad of Syria agreed to carry out the terms of a United Nations resolution calling for a complete withdrawal from Lebanon, offering to set a timetable for the pullout as well, according to the Syrian official news agency and a United Nations envoy. 4 Hamas Ends Election Boycott The Islamic group Hamas confirmed publicly that it will participate in Palestinian legislative elections, ending a 10-year boycott of the Palestinian Authority. The announcement is a victory for the new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, who is trying to bring Hamas and its militant ally, Islamic Jihad, into mainstream Palestinian politics. 8 Iran Clings to Nuclear Power Iran reacted testily to a statement from the United States that it should give up its nuclear program in return for economic incentives, saying that it would not give up its right to nuclear power. 14 New Education Policy in China China will begin eliminating rural school fees in response to growing criticism that the education system is increasingly corrupt and discriminates against poor rural students. 14 NATIONAL 29-35 Atlanta Suspect Arrested A killing spree that terrorized Atlanta ended when a man accused of killing a judge and two other people during a courthouse rampage surrendered peacefully after a SWAT team cornered him in the apartment of a woman he had taken hostage. The police said that the man is also a suspect in the shooting death of an off-duty federal customs agent. 24 Prepared News Reports At least 20 federal agencies have made prepackaged, ready-to-serve television news segments in the past four years and distributed them to local stations across the country, and many were broadcast without any acknowledgement of the government's role in their production. 1 Judge Blocks Detainee Transfer A federal judge prohibited the government from transferring 13 Yemeni prisoners from the military's detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, until a hearing could be held on their lawyers' fear that they might face torture if sent to another country.. 29 At Least 8 Dead in Shooting A gunman opened fire at a church service being held at a hotel in Brookfield, Wisconsin, killing seven people before taking his own life, the authorities said. 1 NEW YORK/REGION 37-44 Two Men Killed in Queens Two Queens men were killed after a fight between two groups of friends spilled out of a nightclub in the Corona neighborhood and onto the street, the police said. 39 Longer SAT Debuts Across the country students took the new SAT, a longer test which consists of three parts: a math section, a critical reading section and an essay. 37 OBITUARIES 45-46 Danny Gardella A former outfielder for the New York Giants who challenged baseball's reserve clause in a 1947 federal lawsuit, he was 85. 46 Chess 44 Weather 47 Cong. Vote 42

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NEWS SUMMARY

Date: 14 March 2005

INTERNATIONAL A3-12 Syrian Withdrawal Subject To Government Formation The special United Nations envoy on Lebanon cautioned that a commitment by the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, to withdraw all troops and intelligence forces from Lebanon in the next few months was contingent on Lebanese leaders forming a new government in coming weeks. That task will probably prove to be extremely difficult because of Lebanon's turbulent politics. A6 Latest String of Attacks in Iraq A string of attacks and an accident involving an American convoy left at least three Americans and several Iraqis dead over the weekend. Among the dead was the chief engineer for Baghdad International Airport. Officials said the killing of the engineer appeared to be over a personal dispute rather than a planned assassination. A12 Removing West Bank Settlers Israel's cabinet pledged to dismantle two dozen illegal settlements established in the West Bank since Ariel Sharon became prime minister in 2001. But ministers did not set a timetable or announce the fate of 80 other outposts. Any government action against the outposts appeared to be months away at the earliest. A6 Victims Stand Up to the I.R.A. Families of people killed by Catholic and Protestant paramilitary groups in Ireland have increasingly been defying sectarian fighters by coming forward with their stories. Sinn Fein, the I.R.A.'s political wing, has been unable to dampen outrage over the killing of a Catholic man unaffiliated with any paramilitary groups. A5 Pope Returns to the Vatican Pope John Paul II went home to the Vatican, making the sign of the cross from the front seat of a Mercedes minivan. His return raised hopes that his condition was much improved after his latest stay in the hospital. A6 Unruly Elections in Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan held the most fractious elections in its post-Soviet history, marked by protests and accusations of fraud. Vote-buying was widely reported in the first round, and it continued into the second round, monitors said. A6 Paltry Disarmament in Haiti Dozens of former soldiers surrendered seven dilapidated guns and applied to become Haitian policemen, saying they were ready for peace after helping to overthrow former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide last year. The paltry handover of weapons underscored the difficulty facing Haiti's interim government as it seeks to disarm rival factions and street gangs. A8 NATIONAL A10-19 Aviation System Remains Vulnerable to Attack The American aviation system remains vulnerable to attack by Al Qaeda and other jihadist terrorist groups despite a huge investment in security, with noncommercial planes and helicopters offering terrorists tempting targets, a confidential government report concludes. A1 Mercury Controls Planned The Bush administration is expected to propose the first federal controls on emissions of mercury at coal-fired power plants with a market-based system of tradable pollution allowances that is more congenial to industry than technology-based prescriptions favored by environmental groups. A1 Problem-Plagued Courthouse The Fulton County Courthouse, where a judge, court reporter and a deputy were shot last week, has been beset by problems in the past. In recent months, at least three defendants have fled the courthouse -- including one during a bathroom break. The shootings have now given rise to a chorus of critics who say security has been lax for too long. A14 Proper Burials Sought Oregon lawmakers and mental health advocates are scheduled to discuss a privately financed memorial and proper burial ground for nearly 3,500 copper urns that hold the ashes of mental patients who died in Salem, Ore., from the late 1880's to the mid-1970's. A17 Cause of Rampage Unclear The authorities near Milwaukee remain unsure what caused Terry Ratzmann to shoot and kill seven Living Church of God members and then himself. Two weeks ago he stalked out of a meeting of his evangelical church upset about something in the sermon. A14 Daschle Joins Law Firm Tom Daschle, the former Democratic leader of the Senate, is joining the law firm Alston & Bird, where he will be reunited with one of his old Senate adversaries, Bob Dole. He will become a special policy adviser in its Washington office. A15 SCIENCE/HEALTH Promise So Far Unfulfilled Injecting stem cells from bone marrow into the damaged hearts of humans has yet to demonstrate whether it will fulfill its promise and has touched off a sharp difference of views between doctors as to whether the therapy is ready to be taken to people. A1 NEW YORK/REGION B1-6 Online Gambling Becomes Distraction on Campus Televised poker championships and a proliferation of online poker games have caused a gambling revolution at the nation's colleges, as campus-sponsored tournaments have generated hundreds of participants and the allure of Atlantic City offers the chance of a six-figure income and an alternative to law school. A1 New Push for Stadium Deal After a flat-footed effort through much of February to win a contract for a new stadium on the West Side of Manhattan, the Jets have become far more aggressive in the last week, fighting back against Cablevision, the company that outbid the team in January. B1 From Big Screen to Small Sonny Grosso, the cop-turned-producer, is producing a pilot for NBC based on a notorious heroin smuggling case that he and his partner Eddie (Popeye) Egan cracked and became the basis for the 1971 film ''The French Connection.'' B1 Three Dead in Car Accidents Three people died in three separate car accidents in Brooklyn and Queens that left the police searching for a hit-and-run driver in one case, a man charged with drunken driving in another, and a driver cited for speeding in the third. B3 SPORTSMONDAY D1-11 Dwight Gooden Arrested Dwight Gooden, the former Mets and Yankees pitcher, who is a special assistant in the baseball operations department for the Yankees, was arrested on a domestic violence charge for punching his girlfriend in the face, the Tampa police said. D9 M.L.B. Players to Testify The Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Government Reform Committee vowed to press for sworn public testimony this week from major league baseball players who may have used steroids. D9 ARTS E1-10 Fate Undecided for Serials The writers of four high-profile television shows withdevoted audiences, including ''Lost,'' ''The O.C.,'' ''24'' and ''Desperate Housewives,'' still don't know exactly how they will end their seasons.They are trying to devise the perfect finale that will satisfy their anxious following. E1 Artist Turns to Photo Realism While the lastest exhibition of Damien Hirst's work reveals that his obsession with the macabre is intact, he has taken this theme in a new direction: Photo Realist paintings. E1 BUSINESS DAY C1-7 Iger Named Disney Chief Robert A. Iger, Disney's president and chief operating officer, will succeed Michael D. Eisner, the polarizing chief executive of the company, who held the position since 1984. A1 A.I.G. Considers Its Future An investigation into American International Group and its chief executive, Maurice R. Greenberg, has led its board to discuss the potential impact on the company and on Mr. Greenburg's future, according to a person briefed on the matter. C1 Can Papers End the Free Ride? Newspaper publishers are debating whether they should charge for their Web sites, knowing that they may drive readers into the arms of the competition. C1 New Tactic for Liberal Bloggers A group of bloggers who describe themselves as liberalare trying to use conference calls to share their ideas with journalists in order to counter what they regard as the much stronger influence of conservative online pundits. C1 Business Digest C1 EDITORIAL A20-21 Editorials: Medicaid in the cross hairs; a travel advisory; protecting judges. OBITUARIES B7 Fred G. Burke The commissioner of education for Rhode Island and then New Jersey who oversaw sweeping changes in the financing and accountability of public schools, he was 79. B7 Ruth Adams The editor of The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists who gave a voice to scientists concerned about the dangers of nuclear weapons during the cold war, she was 81. B7 Autos D13 Bridge E8 Metro Diary B2 TV Listings E9 Crossword E8 Weather B8

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March 6 - March 12

Date: 13 March 2005

SUNDAY Sir Howard Stringer Sony Corporation ANOINTED -- Sony chooses Sir Howard Stringer, 63, a Welsh-born executive who runs its American businesses, to be its next chief executive, passing over the visionary head of its flagship Japanese electronics businesses, Ken Kutaragi, 54. BEHIND THE NEWS -- It's a very rare day when a pillar of corporate Japan chooses a new chief who is not Japanese, does not keep a home in Japan and is not fluent in the language. But Sir Howard's promotion is a sign of something bigger: the eclipse of the almighty gadget. Sony's center of gravity is shifting toward its music and film businesses, which have thrived under Sir Howard, and away from electronics, where its prowess and profits have eroded. MONDAY Harry C. Stonecipher Boeing Company EJECTED -- Mr. Stonecipher, 68, is forced to resign as chief executive of Boeing after the company's board learns of his extramarital affair with Debra Peabody, 48, an executive in the company's Washington lobbying office. BEHIND THE NEWS -- In the spectrum of executive-suite sins, an affair is usually little more than a low-grade misdemeanor, if it is noticed at all. But Mr. Stonecipher was brought back from retirement in 2003 to be Mr. Clean and repair the company's scandal-battered reputation. The company said he violated his own new employee code of conduct, forbidding any behavior that might embarass the company a rule so sweeping that whoever tipped off the board about the boss's love life would seem to have broken it as well. TUESDAY Sheik Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah DEFIANT -- Sheik Nasrallah, 44, the leader of the militant Lebanese Shiite party Hezbollah, makes a rare, surprise public speech at a huge rally in Beirut, opposing Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and denouncing America, Israel and France. BEHIND THE NEWS -- In a stroke, Sheik Nasrallah reverses the tide of events in a week of tumult. Demonstrations sparked by the killing of a popular former prime minister in February had driven a pro-Syrian government from office, and calls for a Syrian withdrawal were gaining momentum. Then came Hezbollah's show of strength, dwarfing the opposition's marches. Soon the former pro-Syrian government is renominated, and the United States signals a new willingness to bite the bullet and deal with Hezbollah despite the party's history of violence. WEDNESDAY Charles Townes University of California, Berkeley HONORED -- Dr. Townes, 89, who shared a Nobel prize in physics for helping to invent the laser, is awarded the $1.5 million Templeton Prize for progress or research in spiritual affairs. BEHIND THE NEWS -- Is there something about physics that brings out the spiritual side of the scientific mind? In recent years, as public antagonism between religious fundamentalism and secular science has run high, the Templeton trustees have frequently looked beyond theologians and philosophers to honor hard-science types, including the Princeton physicist Freeman Dyson in 2000 and the cosmologist George Ellis in 2004, who try to draw science and religion together. FRIDAY Louis Eppolito Retired police detective, author, actor BUSTED -- Mr. Eppolito, 56, is arrested on charges of murder and attempted murder at a Las Vegas restaurant, along with his neighbor and former partner Stephen Caracappa. Prosecutors said the men committed their crimes for the Luchese crime family, while serving in the New York Police Department. They deny the charges. BEHIND THE NEWS -- On the screen, Mr. Eppolito has had little more than bit parts in crime dramas. But prosecutors say he pulled off a full-time double role for years. The fact that his father and uncle were mafiosi went unnoticed when he joined the force in 1969, though the links were fodder for his memoir, ''Mob Cop,'' published after he retired. Investigators have been trying since 1994 to make a murder case stick against the two men.

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Equal Time for U.F.O.'s

Date: 13 March 2005

Mitch Horowitz letter criticizes Frank Rich's March 6 column dismissing interview subjects on Peter Jennings's recent UFO special as 'fanatics'; says many phenomena are unexplained

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See You, Carly. Goodbye, Harry. Hello, Investors.

Date: 13 March 2005

By Conrad De Aenlle

Conrad De Aenlle

Article explores issue of how stock market responds when chief executives are forced to resign; market professionals assert it is possible to reap gains after corporate shakeup, but differ on how gains can be achieved; some say company with new leadership can still be burdened by poor reputation, unprofitable business mix and shortage of clear ways to reverse malaise; photos; graphs (M)

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Liberal Bloggers Reaching Out to Major Media

Date: 14 March 2005

By Jonathan D. Glater

Jonathan

Bloggers describing themselves as liberal or progressive are using telephone conference calls to share their ideas with newspaper and television journalists in effort to counter what they regard as much stronger influence of conservative pundits online; conference call is small development in complex relationship between bloggers and mainstream media, which largely ignored bloggers when they emerged but have begun to take note of their influence as online commentators assume roles in news stories; Bob Fertik, president of Democrats.com, comments; photo (M)

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Everything's Coming Up Kansas

Date: 13 March 2005

By Jesse McKinley

Jesse McKinley

Kansas, for better or worse, is claiming place in national consciousness through several headline-hogging news stories; one is arrest of Wichita suburbanite Dennis L Rader as BTK killer; police say he has confessed to murdering 10 people over nearly three decades; drawing (M)

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Other Voices: No Cease-Fire in the War of the Words

Date: 13 March 2005

Readers share their thoughts on last week's column about The Times's use of words like "terrorism" and "terrorist."

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