Pentagon Ban on Pictures Of Dead Troops Is Broken
Date: 23 April 2004
By Bill Carter
Bill Carter
Pentagon's ban on making images of dead soldiers' homecomings at military bases public is briefly relaxed as hundreds of photographs of flag-draped coffins at Dover Air Force Base are released on Internet by Memory Hole, Web site dedicated to combating government secrecy; site had filed Freedom of Information Act request last year seeking pictures of coffins arriving from Iraq at Dover; Pentagon says decision to grant request was mistake, but news organizations quickly used some of 361 images taken by Defense Dept photographers; release comes day after Tami Silicio, Pentagon contractor who had taken photos of coffins being loaded onto plane in Kuwait, is fired after pictures appeared in Seattle Times; husband David Landry is also fired, and both are charged with violating Defense Dept and company policies; Bush administration says policy was put in place after first war in Iraq to protect sensitivities of military families; new organizations executives say they did not know Defense Dept was taking photos, fact that only came to light after FOIA request was made; Pentagon says photos were taken for historical purposes; photo (M)
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Makeup Exam Is Canceled After a TV Close-Up
Date: 22 April 2004
By David M. Herszenhorn
David
New York City Education Department cancels makeup exams scheduled for third graders who missed citywide tests because at least one news channel showed closeup of test questions on television (M)
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North Korean Leader Tells China He's Committed to Nuclear Talks
Date: 22 April 2004
By Jim Yardley
Jim Yardley
Chinese government acknowledges secretive visit of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and says he will continue with six-nation talks organized by China to defuse nuclear standoff with United States; accounts of his visit by official Chinese media offer few hints of any major breakthroughs; reports in South Korean news media say Chinese officials urged Kim to be more flexible in negotiating with US: say Kim is willing to resolve nuclear dispute during next round of talks, scheduled for no later than June (M)
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Vanunu, Disdaining Israel, Is Freed to Chants vs. Cheers
Date: 22 April 2004
By Greg Myre
Greg Myre
Mordechai Vanunu, former Israeli nuclear technician who disclosed information about country's clandestine nuclear program to news media, is released from prison after serving 18-year sentence; dozens of supporters, mostly American and British, cheer him as hero of anti-nuclear cause, while several hundred Israelis denounce him as spy and traitor; he says he is proud of what he did; faces list of restrictions that bar him from leaving country for year or speaking with foreigners; photo (M)
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Disclosure by the Kerrys
Date: 22 April 2004
Editorial holds that Sen John Kerry has been slow to realize importance of full disclosure by candidate seeking trust of public for nation's highest office; says he can expect Bush campaign to take advantage of news vacuum he creates by withholding information on his service in Vietnam, his medical records and now his wife's tax returns; says she is not the candidate, but numerous past candidates have acknowledged that extra burdens are fairly placed on close family members; says public is entitled to more detail, even though nothing nefarious has been alleged
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Two Days That Live In Punditry
Date: 23 April 2004
By Clyde Haberman
Clyde Haberman
Clyde Haberman NYC column discusses National Columnists Day, celebrating work of news columnists arond country; notes day goes unnoticed even by columnists (M)
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Panel Says Internal Flaws at USA Today Aided in Deceptions
Date: 22 April 2004
By Jacques Steinberg
Jacques Steinberg
A panel of outside journalists retained by USA Today to investigate the repeated fabrications of its former star foreign correspondent released its findings today.
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BOLDFACE NAMES
Date: 23 April 2004
By Campbell Robertson
Campbell Robertson
Campbell Robertson Boldface Names column discusses PEN awards celebrating writers and journalists at Pierre Hotel (NYC) (M)
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Bush Isn't Surprised Americans Expect Attack
Date: 22 April 2004
By Elisabeth Bumiller
Elisabeth Bumiller
President Bush, speaking before annual gathering of American newspaper editors and publishers, expresses no surprise that most Americans think another terrorist attack in United States is likely; defends Iraq war and other policies (M)
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The Real War
Date: 23 April 2004
Editorial calls for end to Defense Dept policy that prohibits taking of photographs of coffins of members of armed services while they are being transported back to US; argues that Americans should be allowed to bear witness to sacrifice of soldiers
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