By Greg Licamele

Four of the most influential American media executives gathered for “The Kalb Report” on Feb. 27, shedding light on war coverage, Internet usage, and public faith in journalists, among other topics. CNN Chairman Walter Isaacson, Associated Press President Louis Boccardi, The New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger, and National Public Radio President Kevin Klose provided a robust discussion for the 350 people in attendance at the National Press Club.

Marvin Kalb and Associated Press President Louis Boccardi

Isaacson captured the convergence of ideas at the forum by describing the role of a free press, whether on a battlefield or in cyberspace.

“The unfettered flow of information and ideas is the greatest driving force of freedom around the world,” Isaacson said. “You can see it happening — as information spread, tyrannies started to come down. That’s more important now than ever when we’re entering a world in which there’s a real clash between intolerance and other approaches.”

As military personnel gather in the Middle East for a potential war with Iraq, journalists also have packed their notepads and satellite telephones and have become “embedded” with the troops. Klose called for recognition of the dangers the Pentagon is undertaking in providing journalists a chair in the battlefield.

“They’re taking in unarmed people who are going to be neutral in anything that happens, who have to be protected at all times,” Klose told the audience comprised of GW students, Harvard Kennedy School alumni, and members of the Press Club.

Isaacson said journalists travelling with the troops have witnessed some of the most significant events, including Marines raising the American flag at Iwo Jima, and that today’s military leaders openly want reporters on hand. He said some generals cited the limited 1991 Persian Gulf War coverage and how some of the most complex tank battles in history occurred, yet there is no media record.

“There will be criticisms of what American troops do during the war, but (the generals) believe the American troops are the best representatives to the world as opposed to the briefers back in Washington,” Isaacson said.

Sulzberger said that The New York Times Company, which includes the New York-based newspaper and The Boston Globe, does not budget for wars. Sulzberger noted that a total of 15 Times and Globe reporters are travelling with the troops, while at least six additional journalists will cover general assignments.

“We don’t budget for wars. We don’t budget for horrors. We don’t budget for tragedies,” Sulzberger said. “We budget for reasonable news cycles. If a Sept. 11 happens, then you burn the budget because that’s our job. That’s our reason for being.”

Kalb asked if recent budget cuts and layoffs in the news media were indicative of a larger issue within journalism. Boccardi said no, it’s not a reflection of the news media, but of the world’s economic realities.

“There were seven newspapers in New York when I started (as a reporter),” Boccardi said. “When I left, there were four, then there were three. Those papers didn’t fail because people stopped believing in the First Amendment or because we lost our loyalty to the First Amendment. They failed as businesses.”

One way in which media organizations are changing is through technology. Klose said correspondents on the battlefield now use instant communications via satellite phones. They also use the Internet to instantly distribute news around the world.

Though there are pitfalls with the Internet such as copyright infringement, Sulzberger looks at the medium with optimism and opportunism.

“How do you define the word newspaper?” Sulzberger asked. “By the word ‘news’ or by the word ‘paper’? I define it by the word ‘news.’ My greatest goal is the get the news of The New York Times to as many people as I possibly can. The Internet is an enormous tool for me to achieve that goal.”

Sulzberger added that the Internet is the second largest source of new subscribers to the print edition of the newspaper.

“It is my fundamental belief that if people come to us on the Internet, we can, over time, monetize that,” Sulzberger said. “We already have (made a profit as of last year). Is it as profitable as The New York Times in print? No, not even close. Could it afford to cover the news costs? No, but whether they come to us in print, the Internet, or on TV, we’re only really going to have to care about the fact that they are coming to The New York Times news and information.”

As times change, Kalb noted, the American people have classified journalism as a less-than-noble profession, yet, reporters are the communication vehicle between citizens and their government. In a time of security concerns at home and abroad, Kalb inquired about the relationship of the reporter to the government.

“I think it’s the same relationship that has been at the center of the American experience, which is that when we do our work as well as we can, we really are representing a fourth estate,” Klose said. “We’re helping citizens understand and probe into things that government does or that it doesn’t do and learn the reasons why those things happen. When we don’t get explanations, we dig deeper. I think we’re as skeptical in this time as we were before Sept. 11, 2001.”

“The Kalb Report,” which is underwritten by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, is co-sponsored by The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, The Joan Shorenstein Center on Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University and the National Press Club. GW and the National Press Club have produced 32 programs in the “The Kalb Report” series since 1994. Forums have covered issues at the intersection of public policy and the press, including talk show democracy and covering the private lives of public officials.

©2003 The George Washington University Office of University Relations, Washington, D.C.
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