Managing the News
Date: 20 February 2002
Editorial decries Pentagon's plans to establish secretive Office of Strategic Influenceto manage news regarding US war against global terrorism; says program would undermine rather than reinforce government's broader efforts to build international support since it calls for planting false stories in foreign press and running other covert activities to manipulate public opinion (S)
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A News Agency's Rose-Colored Glasses
Date: 20 February 2002
By James Brooke
James Brooke
Barrage of propaganda unleashed by North Korean news agency to upstage Pres Bush's arrival in South Korea discussed (M)
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Polk Awards to BBC, The Times, The Daily News and The Wall Street Journal
Date: 20 February 2002
By Thomas J. Lueck
Thomas Lueck
George Polk Awards for excellence in journalism are announced; New York Times wins for national reporting for broad coverage of terrorism attacks for special section A Nation Challenged, with particular mention to biographical sketches of victims of World Trade Center attacks under heading Portraits of Grief; Times reporter Barry Bearak receives foreign reporting award for dispatches from Afghanistan before and after Sept 11 attacks; other winners noted (M)
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CNN Names a Rising Star to Head Its U.S. Network
Date: 20 February 2002
By Jim Rutenberg
Jim Rutenberg
Teya Ryan, who oversaw overhaul of CNN Headline News last summer, is named executive vice president and general manager of CNN domestic network, succeeding Sid Bedingfield, who is appointed executive editor of all CNN networks (M)
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Court Ruling May Change Landscape For Media
Date: 20 February 2002
By Seth Schiesel and Bill Carter
Seth Schiesel
Analysis of Federal appeals court ruling that government has to reconsider sharp limits on number of stations network can own and striking down regulation that had restricted cable operators from owning television stations; says rulings will probably prompt executives at companies including News Corp, Viacom and Walt Disney Co, which each own many television stations, to seriously consider expanding their empires by acquisition; holds major players in cable television market like AOL Time Warner and Cox Enterprises can now consider significantly expanding their relatively small broadcasting operations (M)
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BOLDFACE NAMES
Date: 20 February 2002
By James Barron With Terry Pristin
James With
Latest episode in brouhaha between ABC's Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer, who have history of outscooping each other, described; this time it is over actress Rosie O'Donnell's coming out as lesbian; photo; Wayne Barrett, author of Rudy! An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani would cast Jon Voight in lead role in upcoming television movie based on his book if he had choice; Brian Stokes Mitchell sings at memorial service for John A Stevenson, publishing and direct mail executive (M)
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Howard K. Smith, Courtly, Outspoken Voice of Radio and Television, Is Dead at 87
Date: 19 February 2002
By Richard Goldstein
Richard Goldstein
Howard K Smith, who was one of radio and television's most outspoken and familiar voices in long and often contentious career as anchorman, news analyst and war correspondent, dies at age 87; photos (M)
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Office of Strategic Mendacity
Date: 20 February 2002
By Maureen Dowd
Maureen Dowd
Maureen Dowd Op-Ed column scores plans by Pentagon to establish Office of Strategic Influence that would control news about war against terrorism, sometimes by deliberately planting false information (M)
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PENTAGON READIES EFFORTS TO SWAY SENTIMENT ABROAD
Date: 19 February 2002
By James Dao and Eric Schmitt
James Dao
Pentagon's new Office for Strategic Influence is developing plans to provide news items, possibly even false ones, to foreign media organizations as part of new effort to influence public sentiment and policy makers in both friendly and unfriendly countries; seeks to broaden longstanding practice of information warfare against hostile nations in Middle East, Asia and even Western Europe; would assume role traditionally led by civilian agencies, mainly State Dept; office was established after September 11 terrorist attacks in response to concerns that Bush administration and US were losing public support overseas for war on terrorism, especially in Islamic countries; Defense Sec Donald H Rumsfeld, while broadly supportive of new office, has not approved specific proposals and has asked Pentagon's top lawyer William J Haynes to review them; photo (M)
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As the Story Unfolds, NBC Has the Biggest Part
Date: 19 February 2002
By Richard Sandomir
Richard Sandomir
Sports Media column discusses impact NBC had on other media coverage of pairs figure skating imbroglio at 2002 Winter Games (M)
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