Fear and Favor in the Newsroom

To the public, journalists will do anything for a story - push their way through crowds, bombard officials with hostile questions, even bring down presidents. Fear and Favor . . . shatters this myth by providing an insiders? critique of how corporate press lords constrict the free flow of ideas and information. Interviews with celebrated journalist provide case studies of stories which were spiked and reporters who were demoted or fired at prestigious organizations like the Atlanta Constitution, The New York Times and NBC News. From this intimidation, other journalist quickly learn to practice self- censorship whenever a story may conflict with the interests of their corporate employers. For example, The New York Times pulled Polk award winning reporter Frances Cerra off her beat when she insisted on reporting cost over-runs at the Shoreham nuclear power plant. She concludes: I came to understand that freedom of the press is only guaranteed when you own the press. This is something I learned from The New York Times.? Notes: Introduced by Studs Terkel. Among those interviewed: Wendell Rawls, Jr. [Ex-asst. Managing Editor, Atlanta Constitution], Bill Dedman [Reporter, Constitution], Ben Bagdikian [Dean Emeritus, School of Journalism, UC Berkeley], Jay Smith [former publisher of Atlanta Journal Constitution], Lowell Bergman [producer, CBS 60 Minutes], Richard Cohen [former producer, CBS News], Lawrence Grossman [former president, NBC News], Jon Alpert [former freelance reporter, NBC], Jonathan Kwitny [Ex-reporter, Wall St. Journal], Sydney Schanberg [ex-reporter, New York Times], Frances Cerra, John L. Hess [ex-reporter, New York Times], Peter Graumann [ex-correspondent, MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour], Ralph Nader, Robert Pollard [Union of concerned scientists], Michael Gartner [president, NBC News 1988-93], Sydney son [ex-vice chairman, New York Times, Inc.], Admiral Eugene Carroll [Retired, U. S. Navy]. Director, co-producer, Beth Sanders. Writer, co-producer, Randy Baker. Narrated by Studs Terkel. Music by Todd Boekeheide. Editorial consultant, Gary Weimberg. Director of photography, Fawn Yacker.