In a sweeping apology to TV and print journalists covering Iraq ( - ), a contrite Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said Thursday he was wrong in accusing them of sitting in their Baghdad hotels and publishing rumors.

"Just let me say to each of you who have worked so hard and taken such risks to cover this story, I extend a heartfelt apology and hope you will accept it," Wolfowitz wrote in the letter, dispatched via email.

"I understand well the enormous dangers that you face, and want to restate my admiration for you professionalism, dedication and, yes, courage. I pray that you all may return safely," he wrote.

About-face came two days after Wolfowitz complained about press coverage when testifying before a Capitol Hill Committee, sparking a torrent of criticism from journalists around the world.

"Part of our problem is a lot of the press are afraid to travel very much, so they sit in Baghdad and they publish rumors. And rumors are plentiful. Our own media have some responsibility to try to present a balanced picture, instead of always gravitating for the sensational. And the violence is certainly sensational," Wolfowitz testified.

Wolfowitz defended his comments in subsequent interviews. Then came his apology, which marked a rare admission for the media-tough Bush administration.

Veteran correspondents say they don't remember another locale as dangerous as Iraq. It's so dangerous that normally competitive news orgs have been pooling security information and, in some cases, coverage.

To date, 34 TV and print journalists from all over the world have been killed in Iraq since the U.S. went to war. Counting news employees, such as drivers or interpreters, the death toll rises to at least 46. Some journalists also have been kidnapped.

Wolfowitz made no mention of such dangers during his testimony; his letter of apology made sure to do so.

"His comments deserved an apology, and we were happy to see it," one top news exec said. "I don't know what kind of stress he must have been under to say what he did in the first place. Can you imagine?"

All the U.S. news nets are planning extensive coverage of the Iraqi handover on June 30, with broadcast net anchors Dan Rather and Peter Jennings among the TV newsies traveling to Baghdad despite the extreme security concerns.

For safety reasons, NBC News isn't even saying whether its will dispatch anchor Tom Brokaw or anchor-in-waiting Brian Williams to Iraq. No news org is saying where their staffers are staying and working.

Rather will anchor CBS News' "Evening News" from Baghdad next week, beginning Tuesday. Likewise for Jennings, who anchors ABC News' "World News Tonight."

"I'm nervous about anybody going there, whether it's Dan (Rather) or the people we have there all the time," CBS News VP for news coverage Marcy McGinnis said. "It's very nerve-racking."

McGinnis said Wolfowitz's comments before the congressional committee were "insulting" and incorrect.

"They are not sitting in their hotel rooms making up facts. Our people are strong reporters. They are doing everything they possibly can to get out and report," McGinnis said.

In recent days, new execs have met with Pentagon ( - ) officials to discuss safety, as well to urge the flow of information from military commanders in Iraq.

CNN chief news exec Eason Jordan says his correspondents are getting out to a significant degree.

"Certainly, I would highlight the fact that the journalists are taking great risk to try to report this story for people in the U.S. and around the world. News organizations have really rallied to work together like never before," Jordan said.

All the U.S. news nets, whether broadcast or cable, continue to keep reporters on the ground on Iraq. Many have been there for months, including CNN's Jane Araf.

News nets have been beefing up their presence in Iraq in anticipation of the handover. Fox News Channel is relying on veteran war correspondents Steve Harrigan and Greg Palkot to lead its coverage.

In recent days, CNN has dispatched Anderson Cooper and longtime foreign correspondent Christiane Amanpour to anchor the handover coverage.

Wolfowitz is no dummy - how else could he have gotten authorization to dispatch this "secret weapon" on the unsuspecting Islamic terrorists . . .

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"In recent days, CNN has dispatched Anderson Cooper and longtime foreign correspondent Christiane Amanpour to anchor the handover coverage."

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Connect the dots . .

Christiane Amanpour is married to:

James Rubin

James Rubin is the president of American Friends of Atlantic Partnership.

James P. Rubin served under President Clinton as Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs from 1997 to May 2000. The Secretary of State also appointed him to be the Department's Chief Spokesman.

Prior to his Presidential appointment, Mr. Rubin was Director of Foreign Policy and Spokesman for the Clinton/Gore '96 Campaign. From May 1993 until 1996, Mr. Rubin served as Senior Adviser and Spokesman for U.S. Representative to the United Nations, Madeleine K. Albright.

From 1989-1993, he was a Professional Staff Member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and Senior Foreign Policy Adviser to Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE). From 1985 to 1989, Mr. Rubin was the Research Director for the non-profit Arms Control Association in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Rubin is a Visiting Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics. He is a regular commentator for the Financial Times, the BBC, CNN, and the American television networks. He lives in London with his wife, Christiane Amanpour, and their son, Darius John Rubin.

http://www.interphiz.com/jrubin.html

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"My station was intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers"

( 9/14/2003 ) "I think the press was muzzled, and I think the press self-muzzled. I'm sorry to say, but certainly television and, perhaps, to a certain extent, my station was intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers at Fox News. And it did, in fact, put a climate of fear and self-censorship, in my view, in terms of the kind of broadcast work we did."

Brown then asked Amanpour if there was any story during the war that she couldn't report.

"It's not a question of couldn't do it, it's a question of tone," Amanpour said. "It's a question of being rigorous. It's really a question of really asking the questions. All of the entire body politic in my view, whether it's the administration, the intelligence, the journalists, whoever, did not ask enough questions, for instance, about weapons of mass destruction. I mean, it looks like this was disinformation at the highest levels."

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

SOURCE

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Connect some more dots . .

Islam and CNN's Superstar Christiane Amanpour

Lev Navrozov
Monday, Jan. 7, 2002

Before and after Sept. 11, 2001, the most prominent television anchor, journalist and authority on Islam and the Islamic world was CNN's chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour, who was born and grew up in an Islamic country, Iran.

Thus, as a native of an Islamic country and assisted by Moslem professors of Islam and Islamic clerics she hosted, she explained that the very word "Islam" means "Peace" in Arabic, and this is what the Koran is all about.

Hence the 19 terrorists of Sept. 11, 2001 – or rather bin Laden and al-Qaeda, who allegedly control these terrorists as their "operatives" – were the enemies of Islam - Peace - which distorted its meaning into its opposite: The worst kind of aggressive war – terrorist attacks to kill innocent civilians.

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