US Freedom of the Press

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In mainstream newspapers, books and on TV, the Bush White House is being accused of outright deception. Is the Bush Administration manipulating the press or is it under siege from left-wing media? With more reports going from bad to worse in Iraq, the news media are criticized from both directions. Supporters of the Bush Administration say biased reporting makes things look worse than they are. But others insist the media aren-- tough enough and they claim the Administration is getting away with a policy of deception. We look at the freedom of press in the US with a professor of Journalism and Sociology at Columbia University, a media analyst, a White House correspondent, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense and an opinion columnist. Making News: New String of Bombings Hit Iraq Today in Baghdad three police stations and the headquarters of the Red Crescent were struck by suicide bombers, all within about 45 minutes. Forty people were killed and more than 200 injured in what-- being called the bloodiest attack since American occupation began. President Bush called it a sign that insurgents are --esperate--because of allied progress in restoring order. Dan Murphy is staff reporter for the Christian Science Monitor. Reporter's Notebook: What-- Causing the Southern California Fires? Massive wildfires have cast a pall of smoke over Southern California, limiting visibility on the ground and in the air. Airports have been shut down or severely limited, impacting air travel in other parts of the country. California-- raging wildfires result from a combination of circumstances: hot, dry weather conditions and the so-called Santa Ana winds that blow out of the desert toward the coastline. Richard Minnich, professor in Earth Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, specializes in fire ecology.
In mainstream newspapers, books and on TV, the Bush White House is being accused of outright deception. Is the Bush Administration manipulating the press or is it under siege from left-wing media? With more reports going from bad to worse in Iraq, the news media are criticized from both directions. Supporters of the Bush Administration say biased reporting makes things look worse than they are. But others insist the media aren-- tough enough and they claim the Administration is getting away with a policy of deception. We look at the freedom of press in the US with a professor of Journalism and Sociology at Columbia University, a media analyst, a White House correspondent, a spokesperson for the Department of Defense and an opinion columnist.
  • Making News: New String of Bombings Hit Iraq
    Today in Baghdad three police stations and the headquarters of the Red Crescent were struck by suicide bombers, all within about 45 minutes. Forty people were killed and more than 200 injured in what-- being called the bloodiest attack since American occupation began. President Bush called it a sign that insurgents are --esperate--because of allied progress in restoring order. Dan Murphy is staff reporter for the Christian Science Monitor.
  • Reporter's Notebook: What-- Causing the Southern California Fires?
    Massive wildfires have cast a pall of smoke over Southern California, limiting visibility on the ground and in the air. Airports have been shut down or severely limited, impacting air travel in other parts of the country. California-- raging wildfires result from a combination of circumstances: hot, dry weather conditions and the so-called Santa Ana winds that blow out of the desert toward the coastline. Richard Minnich, professor in Earth Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, specializes in fire ecology.

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Host:

Warren Olney