October 2005

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
A Failure To Communicate
Limits on Wireless Leave U.S. at Risk
FCC Rules to Provide Free Wireless Service

TELEVISION
Tech, Safety Sectors Laud Timing Of Digital Television Transition
Ideologically Diverse Groups Question =91Multicasting=92
Civil Rights Unplugged

OWNERSHIP
Jolly Roger's Grand Plan
Media Groups Signal Second Internet Boom

CONTENT
Armed Forces Radio Tunes Out Liberal Show Host
Books of Revelation
Apple faces hard time wooing Hollywood to new iPod

QUICKLY -- Pajamas Media; More PE, Not Fewer Ads, Say Advertisers; NCTA,=20
CEA Making Progress; How tech is changing the news; Brand X Internet=20
Services v. FCC; New Low Power Radio Station in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE
A report released Monday by Common Cause examines the failures of U.S.=20
telecommunications policy that resulted in communications breakdowns all=20
along the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, and recommends=20
reallocating a portion of our publicly-owned airwaves to public safety and=
=20
the public good. The report, "A Failure to Communicate: Katrina Pinpoints=
=20
Dangerous Lapses In our Telecommunications Policy," comes as Congress=20
begins work this week on legislation to expedite the transition to digital=
=20
television and enhance emergency communications. Loopholes in previous=20
digital television transition bills have prevented public safety interests=
=20
from gaining access to the airwaves they need to upgrade their=20
communications systems. New legislation is likely to set a "hard deadline"=
=20
for television stations to return their analog spectrum =AD the airwaves th=
at=20
are considered by many to be "beachfront property." But it remains unclear=
=20
whether only special interests will benefit when these valuable airwaves=20
are returned. Common Cause and other public interest groups believe a=20
portion of the airwaves should be set aside both for public safety, and to=
=20
expand access to high-speed Internet to all Americans. Enhanced access to=
=20
"beachfront" airwaves also requires action by the Federal Communications=20
Commission (FCC) on pending rules to require their more efficient use.
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=3DdkLNK1MQIwG&b=3...
0365&content_id=3D{C0FD6E62-C62A-4D94-AC76-E80E0FBABE92}&notoc=3D1
Read the report at:
http://www.commoncause.org/atf/cf/{FB3C17E2-CDD1-4DF6-92BE-BD4429893665}/FA=
ILURETOCOMMUNICATE10-14-05.PDF

LIMITS ON WIRELESS LEAVE US AT RISK
[Commentary] For the past two years, everyone in Washington has agreed that=
=20
the country needs a new telecommunications law. But no one has been able to=
=20
provide a reason in terms that any voter could grasp. One of the many=20
outcomes of the Katrina and Rita catastrophes is that we all know,=20
tragically and inescapably, that America needs a new, up-to-date=20
communications network. If a law will give us that, then Congress should=20
pass that law. In a hurry. This means enacting laws that encourage=20
municipalities and new entrants to quickly build competing broadband=20
infrastructure, such as the Community Broadband Act, proposed by Sens. John=
=20
McCain, R-Ariz., and Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J. Congress should grant $1=20
billion in federal matching grants to any municipality that will pay 50=20
percent of the cost of such a local wireless broadband network. Local=20
government should let competitive contracts and build city-by-city,=20
county-by-county, coast-to-coast WiFi network. Officials ought to=20
reallocate a spectrum, probably in the 700 megahertz band, for a national=
=20
wireless network reserved for first responders. The local WiFi networks can=
=20
be used by anyone with a laptop. The first-responder network would be=20
available only for authorized emergency services. But for the first time=20
all -- the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency=20
Management Agency, local police departments, local firefighters and so on=
=20
-- would be on the same network. They could use similar equipment. They=20
could communicate with each other, saving lives and taking fewer risks to=
=20
do so. The Federal Communications Commission should reallocate the=20
spectrum. Congress should appropriate the money. Finally, Congress should=
=20
ask the FCC to coordinate the repair and relief efforts of the big=20
commercial wireless, wire, cable, broadcast and satellite networks. The=20
able new chairman of the FCC has led a bipartisan commission with energy=20
and focus in assessing what went wrong and what can be done better to=20
repair downed networks. Congress should give the FCC chairman the tools he=
=20
needs to make sure that we all learn the hard lesson of Katrina and Rita.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News 10/16, AUTHOR:Reed Hundt, former FCC Chairma=
n]
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/12917284.htm

FCC RULES TO PROVIDE FREE WIRELESS SERVICE
Eligible telecom carriers (ETCs) offering free wireless service to=20
Hurricane Katrina survivors could get an estimated $39 million=20
reimbursement under new FCC Lifeline rules, the agency said in an order.=20
The rules, in effect until March 1, will cover only households eligible for=
=20
individual housing assistance under FEMA rules. Eligible customers will=20
receive a free handset and a package of at least 300 min. of use, up to=20
$130 in value per household, until March 2006. =93We find that $130 per=20
household is a reasonable amount of support... based on the variety of the=
=20
competitive plans available to consumers throughout the United States,=94 t=
he=20
FCC said. The support will =93assist in the recovery from the economic=20
damages caused by the hurricane=94 and =93promote public safety by ensuring=
=20
that disaster victims have ready access to E-911 capability.=94 The FCC sai=
d=20
such support is consistent with Sec. 254 of the Telecom Act, because =93it =
is=20
reasonably necessary to ensure that low income consumers have immediate=20
access to telecommunications service.=94 The agency used its Title I=20
authority to include free wireless handsets. The FCC also: 1) Adopted=20
Link-Up rules to defray costs of reconnecting households to telecom=20
networks; 2) Allowed health care providers to seek support for advanced=20
telecom and information services used for telemedicine applications; 3)=20
Opened a new application window to let schools and libraries in affected=20
area and those serving more students due to the storm resubmit requests for=
=20
E-rate funds for this year; 4) Assigned the E-rate program=92s highest leve=
l=20
of priority to schools and libraries in the affected areas for funding year=
=20
2005 and 2006; and 5) Clarified that under rules for receiving high-cost=20
support, carriers in the disaster area may use high-cost support funds=20
received for high-cost areas in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi to help=
=20
rebuild storm-damaged facilities.
[SOURCE: Communications Daily, AUTHOR: Susan Polyakova]
(Not available online)
See FCC order:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-05-178A1.doc

TELEVISION

TECH, SAFETY SECTORS LAUD TIMING OF DIGITAL TELEVISION TRANSITION
Officials in the technology and public-safety communications arenas=20
applauded Senate draft legislation that would set April 7, 2009, as the=20
"hard date" to end analog television transmissions. The draft, circulated=
=20
late last Thursday by aides to Senate Commerce Chairman Ted Stevens,=20
R-Alaska, calls for 60 megahertz of spectrum to be auctioned and 24 MHz to=
=20
go to public safety as a result of the transition to digital television.=20
Public safety officials praised the bill. "Great news on the federal 911=20
funding front!" said Patrick Halley, government affairs director for the=20
National Emergency Number Association, which helps administer "enhanced=20
911," or E911, emergency-dialing systems. He added that "it has been a=20
challenge in the current budget climate to ensure appropriate funding" for=
=20
a 2004 law that authorized -- but has not funded -- $250 million on E911=20
for each of five years. The program's current appropriation in a pending=20
Senate bill is $5 million. By creating a "digital transition and public=20
safety fund," the draft bill effectively would skirt appropriators on that=
=20
and four other communications-related programs -- including the plan to=20
subsidize set-top boxes for converting signals on analog televisions to=20
digital. "I am hoping that somewhere in the neighborhood of $1 billion will=
=20
be available for E911 grants," Halley said. "It is simple; it is basic; it=
=20
gets the job done," Michael Petricone, vice president of the Consumer=20
Electronic Association, said of the new bill.
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-MNBA1129566316839.html

IDEOLOGICALLY DIVERSE GROUPS QUESTION 'MULTICASTING'
Broadcasters seeking to require that cable TV operators "must carry"=20
multicast programs as part of the transition to digital television are=20
finding it hard to attract either the support of conservative free market=
=20
organizations or liberal public advocacy groups. A coalition of public=20
advocacy groups including Common Cause, Free Press, Consumers Union and the=
=20
New America Foundation plans to release a letter Tuesday urging the Senate=
=20
Commerce Committee to reserve unlicensed radio spectrum as a "benefit" that=
=20
"the American people [receive] from the public airwaves." This stance puts=
=20
the coalition at odds with the National Association of Broadcasters.=20
Unlicensed spectrum would serve to expand the opportunities for Internet=20
connections over wireless fidelity -- so-called WiFi. Various=20
municipalities around the country are beginning to deploy Wi-Fi on a=20
publicly accessible basis. Combined with conservative opposition to must=20
carry, the stance of the liberal public advocacy groups is a double-whammy=
=20
for the NAB -- which counted many non-profit groups as allies in the fight=
=20
over a 1992 cable law. That law put a must-carry requirement for analog=20
television broadcasters into legislation for the first time. The assaults=
=20
on commercial broadcasters from both the left and right are occurring even=
=20
as the Senate Commerce Committee considers proposals to require the cable=
=20
industry to carry one or two additional broadcast channels -- in exchange=
=20
for broadcasters providing three or more hours per week of local public=20
interest programming.
[SOURCE: Technology Daily, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/lenya/telco/live/tb-GKES1129590427818.html

CIVIL RIGHTS UNPLUGGED
[Commentary] SBC and Verizon are insisting that lawmakers bless their=20
proposal to roll out new digital television and advanced broadband services=
=20
only to the more affluent. So where is the outrage from the civil rights=20
community? If the pols accede to this special-interest pitch, it will=20
represent a sea change in the bipartisan telecommunications policy of the=
=20
past 20 years that has required companies that provide video services --=20
such as cable TV -- to serve the entire community through local franchise=
=20
agreements. SBC admits to Wall Street that 90 percent of its "high-value"=
=20
customers will be beneficiaries of its television service but only 5=20
percent of its "low-value" customers will be wired up. A spokesman for the=
=20
National League of Cities calls this "red-lining." A leader in the Urban=20
League said that the policy would cause minority and low-income communities=
=20
to "fall further behind in the deployment of new technologies." The=20
telephone companies' proposal is made precisely for the purpose of allowing=
=20
them to invest less, and in fewer communities -- rather than more, as the=
=20
current rules require. And as for their perennial promises of more=20
investment in exchange for legislative favors: Legislators around the=20
country have derided SBC and Verizon for never fulfilling such pledges.=20
Tucker concludes, "Don't get me wrong. I support Verizon and SBC's entrance=
=20
into the video services market, and I believe that consumers will benefit=
=20
from it. But these potential benefits should not transform our elected=20
officials into marionettes for two monopolies that want to trample our=20
civil rights traditions."
[SOURCE: Washington Post 10/15, AUTHOR: C. Delores Tucker]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/14/AR200510...
1679.html
(requires registration)

OWNERSHIP

JOLLY ROGER'S GRAND PLAN
Media ownership doesn't affect content, does it? Two months after Lachlan=
=20
Murdoch's abrupt resignation as News Corp. deputy chief operations officer,=
=20
cable news impresario Roger Ailes is wasting no time bringing the=20
conglomconglom's network of 35 TV stations into the Fox News fold. And for=
=20
the first time the former GOP operative will get to see if the brash brand=
=20
of news and opinion that made him the king of cable will translate to a=20
broadcast audience in urban centers that is a generation younger -- and not=
=20
necessarily interested in news. In the weeks since Ailes was anointed=20
chairman of the stations group, he's moved the center of power from Los=20
Angeles, where the group has been run for years, to the Fox News nerve=20
center in New York. Ailes added CBS exec Dennis Swanson to a group of Fox=
=20
News Channel hands to run the group, including CEO Jack Abernethy and=20
senior VP of news operations Sharri Berg in what amounts to a grafting of=
=20
the Fox cable news operation onto its network of 35 local stations. Staff=
=20
at News Corp.'s far-flung station group -- which includes Fox and UPN=20
affiliates across the country -- are waiting to see what changes are ahead.=
=20
While it's still early in the new regime, one thing seems certain: The=20
landscape of local television is going to change. Local news editors,=20
producers and on-air talent have been flown to New York for intense two-day=
=20
training sessions to help local news personalities abandon dry anchor-speak=
=20
and adopt a more Foxian barstool conversational style. The Fox 24-hour news=
=20
operation is re-tooling to become a network-style engine for new national=
=20
news programs. "We hope to tap into that resource in ways that haven't been=
=20
done in the past by rolling out national news and information programs and=
=20
providing elements that can be used in local news," says CEO Abernethy. He=
=20
won't rule out a national evening newscast to take on the ABC, CBS and NBC.
[SOURCE: Variety, AUTHOR: Michael Learmonth]
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117931037?categoryid=3D1009&cs=3D1&s=3...
p=3D0

MEDIA GROUPS SIGNAL SECOND INTERNET BOOM
=93Business models have emerged for the Internet and people are understandi=
ng=20
it is possible to make money,=94 says Time Warner chief Dick Parsons. The=
=20
boom has been fueled by two trends that, executives say, make it different=
=20
from the last one. First, there has been a dramatic increase in broadband=
=20
Internet connections around the world, making it easier to watch and=20
download video content on the web. Second is the emergence of Internet=20
advertising. Last year, online advertising generated revenues of $9.6bn in=
=20
the US. Over the next five years, Merrill Lynch expects this to grow at=20
more than 20 per cent a year, four to five times faster than the overall=20
advertising market. By 2009, Internet advertising is expected to be worth=
=20
$25bn in the US. Yet the second Internet boom comes at a difficult time for=
=20
the world=92s media giants. Following failed investments five years ago, ma=
ny=20
of them have shunned the Internet until recently. Share prices of US media=
=20
companies have performed dismally amid concerns about the growth prospects=
=20
of saturated markets and as investors worry that the Internet will grab=20
their customers=92 attention and money. In the US, =93new=94 media stocks s=
uch as=20
Yahoo and Google have outperformed traditional media stocks by 370% in the=
=20
past four years, according to Merrill Lynch. Although digital distribution=
=20
might open up another market in which media groups can sell their content,=
=20
the ease and speed with which digital content can be copied raises concerns=
=20
about whether piracy will erode media company profits. Media companies say=
=20
they want to learn from the music industry=92s mistake of ignoring for year=
s=20
customers=92 demands for digitally available music. =93Fighting piracy is a=
=20
combination of factors, such as legislation and enforcement, but probably=
=20
the most important aspect is having appropriate business models which make=
=20
content available at appropriate prices,=94 said Peter Chernin, president a=
nd=20
chief operating officer at News Corp.
[SOURCE: Financial Times, AUTHOR: Aline van Duyn and Joshua Chaffin]
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/00324c9e-3f40-11da-932f-00000e2511c8.html
(requires subscription)

CONTENT

ARMED FORCES RADIO TUNES OUT LIBERAL SHOW HOST
Liberal radio talker Ed Schultz was eagerly anticipating his debut=20
yesterday on Armed Forces Radio, which agreed last month to carry his=20
program to nearly a million soldiers around the world. But at 7 a.m.,=20
Schultz's producer got a call from Allison Barber, the Pentagon's deputy=20
assistant secretary for internal communications, who said without=20
explanation that the deal was off. Perhaps, Schultz said in an interview,=
=20
it was just a coincidence that he spent the end of last week chastising=20
Barber for coaching a group of U.S. soldiers in Iraq before a=20
teleconference with President Bush. Barber was seen repeatedly on=20
television last week asking mock questions to soldiers in Iraq, who=20
generally gave responses similar to those they would momentarily provide to=
=20
the president. Schultz played some of these clips on his show. The Pentagon=
=20
said the soldiers were not rehearsed but apologized for "any perception=20
that they were told what to say." "The fact is, they don't want dissenting=
=20
voices or any other kind of speech unless it's going to be promotional for=
=20
them. Obviously, these people are making sure they're not going to have any=
=20
opinion other than the Rush Limbaughs of the world," Schultz said.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Howard Kurtz]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/17/AR200510...
1666.html
(requires registration)
In a related story:
* In Sign of Conservative Split, a Commentator Is Dismissed
In the latest sign of the deepening split among conservatives over how far=
=20
to go in challenging President Bush, Bruce Bartlett, a Republican=20
commentator who has been increasingly critical of the White House, was=20
dismissed on Monday as a senior fellow at the National Center for Policy=20
Analysis, a conservative research group based in Dallas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/18/politics/18bartlett.html?pagewanted=3Dall
(requires registration)

BOOKS OF REVELATION
[Commentary] What's Google Print? Imagine sitting at your computer and, in=
=20
less than a second, searching the full text of every book ever written.=20
Imagine an historian being able to instantly find every book that mentions=
=20
the Battle of Algiers. Imagine a high school student in Bangladesh=20
discovering an out-of-print author held only in a library in Ann Arbor.=20
Imagine one giant electronic card catalog that makes all the world's books=
=20
discoverable with just a few keystrokes by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Some=
=20
members of the publishing industry who believe this program violates=20
copyright law have been fighting to stop it. Google respectfully disagrees=
=20
with their conclusions, on both the meaning of the law and the spirit of a=
=20
program which, in fact, will enhance the value of each copyright. Imagine=
=20
the cultural impact of putting tens of millions of previously inaccessible=
=20
volumes into one vast index, every word of which is searchable by anyone,=
=20
rich and poor, urban and rural, First World and Third, en toute langue --=
=20
and all, of course, entirely for free. How many users will find, and then=
=20
buy, books they never could have discovered any other way? How many=20
out-of-print and backlist titles will find new and renewed sales life? How=
=20
many future authors will make a living through their words solely because=
=20
the Internet has made it so much easier for a scattered audience to find=20
them? This egalitarianism of information dispersal is precisely what the=20
Web is best at; precisely what leads to powerful new business models for=20
the creative community; precisely what copyright law is ultimately intended=
=20
to support; and, together with its partners, precisely what Google hopes,=
=20
and expects, to accomplish with Google Print.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google]
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112958982689471238.html?mod=3Dtodays_us_...
nion
(requires subscription)
* Google Opens 8 Sites in Europe, Widening Its Book Search Effort
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/18/technology/18book.html?pagewanted=3Dall
* Google Print project inspires fans, fears
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20051018/googleprint18.art0.htm

APPLE FACES HARD TIME WOOING HOLLYWOOD TO NEW iPOD
Apple Computer chief Steve Jobs faces a far tougher task wooing film and=20
television producers to create shows for the new video iPod than he did in=
=20
the music industry as many questions remain over content and pricing,=20
industry executives say. In the week since Jobs unveiled the handheld iPod,=
=20
which plays video clips on a 2.5-inch diagonal screen, media and technology=
=20
executives have been trying to figure out whether people will watch shows=
=20
on a small screen, what types of programs will work and whether money can=
=20
be made at the $1.99 price Apple set. "There is no doubt people are going=
=20
to access content in more flexible ways going forward," said Rick Feldman,=
=20
who heads the National Association of Television Program Executives. "What=
=20
we don't know, for independent producers, is what kind of content is going=
=20
to be wanted and needed, what it will cost and what it can be made for," he=
=20
added. Media executives say it costs very little for networks to re-package=
=20
shows for downloading in what amounts to test marketing because the=20
consumer appetite, costs and profits of those programs already have been=20
realized in other arenas. The networks can afford to experiment, but=20
independent film and TV producers, which the networks rely on to dream up=
=20
shows, want hard facts before investing dollars in new programing.
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Bob Tourtellotte and Kenneth Li]
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=3DtechnologyNews&sto...
D=3D2005-10-17T211721Z_01_WRI776597_RTRUKOC_0_US-APPLE.xml
* IPod Gets Some CBS Content
Is there a disconnect here? CBS to make Andy Rooney commentary available=20
for iPod users.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6275123?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

QUICKLY

BLOGGERS UNITE FOR AGGREGATION SITE
A group of bloggers including mainstream journalists from outlets such as=
=20
CNBC, The Nation and The New York Times are banding together to strike a=20
blow at established media and pick up some ad dollars in the process.=20
Operating initially as Pajamas Media -- a play on criticism that bloggers=
=20
are "just a bunch of guys in their pajamas" -- the site will offer original=
=20
content and links to affiliate sites written by more than 70 bloggers, as=
=20
well as basic news feeds from sources like The Associated Press
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Elinor Mills]
http://news.com.com/Bloggers+unite+for+aggregation+site/2100-1025_3-5897...
.html?tag=3Dnefd.top

MORE PE, NOT FEWER ADS, SAYS AAF
American Advertising Federation President Wally Snyder argued Monday for=20
more exercise, not more restrictions on advertising, when addressing the=20
problem of childhood obesity. Speaking to the Arkansas Advertising=20
Federation, Snyder warned that children's advertising critics want to take=
=20
us "to a place where 'food police' will determine which foods are 'good=20
foods' and which foods are 'bad foods,' and to only allow the good ones to=
=20
be advertised to children." He contends that there's no link between=20
advertising and childhood obesity trends.
[SOURCE: Broadcasting&Cable, AUTHOR: John Eggerton]
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6275116?display=3DBreaking+Ne...
referral=3DSUPP
(free access for Benton's Headlines subscribers)

NCTA, CEA MAKING PROGRESS
The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and the Consumer=20
Electronics Association reported some progress in the latest report=20
surrounding the two-way, bidirectional cable set-top discussions. Charged=
=20
by the Federal Communications Commission to report progress every 60 days,=
=20
the two groups said agreement has been reached on a number of smaller=20
issues pertaining to two-way discussions.
[SOURCE: Multichannel News, AUTHOR: Matt Stump]
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6275167.html?display=3DBreaking+News
(requires subscription)

HOW TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THE WAY WE REPORT AND WRITE NEWS
Derek Willis, the Research Database Editor at the Washington Post, has=20
written a series of essays about the future of journalism and how advances=
=20
in technology have changed the way that the news is reported and written.=
=20
Includes: The Collaboration Issue; The Information Gap; The Annotated=20
Archive; The Engagement Process; and Rivers of Data.
[SOURCE: CyberJournalist.net]
http://www.cyberjournalist.net/

BRAND X INTERNET SERVICES V FCC
The FCC=92s Acting General Counsel sent a letter to the Clerk of the United=
=20
States Court of Appeals detailing remaining issues regarding the Brand X=20
Internet Services v. FCC case. The FCC indicates that there is no need for=
=20
further proceedings in the case and asks the court to dismiss or deny any=
=20
pending petitions for review.
http://www.neca.org/wawatch/wwpdf/101705_3.pdf

NEW LOW POWER RADIO STATION GOES ON THE AIR IN URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS
The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) will collaborate with=
=20
the Prometheus Radio Project to build a brand new low power community radio=
=20
station. This radio station barnraising will take place November 11-13,=20
2005 at the former post office and new IMC space in downtown Urbana, IL,=20
where the station's studio will be located. Champaign-Urbana Wireless=20
Networks (CUWiN), a pioneering leader in community Internet services, will=
=20
also participate in the barnraising.
http://www.prometheusradio.org/urbana/
--------------------------------------------------------------
Communications-related Headlines is a free online news summary service=20
provided by the Benton Foundation (www.benton.org). Posted Monday through=
=20
Friday, this service provides updates on important industry developments,=
=20
policy issues, and other related news events. While the summaries are=20
factually accurate, their often informal tone does not always represent the=
=20
tone of the original articles. Headlines are compiled by Kevin Taglang=20
(headlines( at )benton.org) -- we welcome your comments.
--------------------------------------------------------------