EVENT:	Carl Bernstein discusses, "'Murdoching' the American Media," sponsored by The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs and the GW chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Bernstein's address will focus on the issues of ownership and saturation of the American media as exemplified by Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corp. Bernstein will also present the 1997 GW Journalism Program scholarships and prizes at a reception following the lecture.
WHEN:	Friday, April 18, 1997 4 p.m. Reception immediately following in the School of Media and Public Affairs, Academic Center, Suite 409, 801 22nd Street, NW
WHERE:	The George Washington University Marvin Center, Room 404 800 21st Street, NW Washington, DC (Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro, blue and orange lines)

Background:

In addition to winning the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Watergate for The Washington Post, Carl Bernstein is the author of four acclaimed books: "All the President's Men" and "The Final Days," written with Bob Woodward, "His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time," written with Marco Politi, and "Loyalties: A Son's Memoir," an account of his parents' encounter with McCarthyism during the darkest days of the Cold War.

A contributing editor of Vanity Fair magazine, Bernstein began his career at the age of 16, when he went to work as a copyboy at The Washington Star. His experience since has included every facet of reporting in the U.S. and abroad for newspapers, magazines and network television -- and he has received virtually every major journalism award in the U.S.

After leaving The Washington Post in 1977, Bernstein served as Washington bureau chief and then senior correspondent for ABC-TV and as a correspondent for Time magazine. At ABC, Bernstein broke the story that the United States, Egypt, China and Pakistan had agreed secretly to supply arms and other covert support to the Mujahadeen rebels in Afghanistan against the Soviet invasionary force.

Bernstein's coverage for Time received worldwide attention. His detailed accounts from inside Iraq of Saddam Hussein's diminishing support among the Iraqi people led to Bernstein's expulsion from the country by the Iraqi government just before the Gulf War.

In 1992, Bernstein wrote a cover story for Time that revealed the secret alliance between Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II that kept solidarity alive in Poland (despite the imposition of martial law) and hastened the end of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. In response to Bernstein's reporting, Mikhail Gorbachev wrote: "One can say that everything that has happened in Eastern Europe in recent years would have been impossible without the Pope's efforts and the enormous role, including the political role, he has played in the world arena." Gorbachev's surprising remarks were a principal factor in Bernstein's decision to continue researching the Pope for his book, "His Holiness: John Paul II and the Hidden History of Our Time."

Meanwhile, Bernstein's June 1992 cover story for The New Republic, entitled "The Idiot Culture," assessed the evolution of post-Watergate media, especially the tabloid and talk show values that have come to dominate much of American journalism and popular culture. The article inaugurated a heated debate, first in universities and academic forums and belatedly in the media itself, which is still going on.

Bernstein has lectured throughout the world on the press and politics, and his commentary is frequently sought by television networks in the U.S., U.K., Europe, South America, Japan, and Australia. His articles have appeared in The New Republic, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Newsweek and der Spiegel, among many other publications. Also Bernstein has served as a visiting professor of journalism at New York University and holds an honorary doctorate from Boston University.

It is a little-known fact that Bernstein was The Washington Post's rock music critic while a reporter there, and when he can find the time, he still likes to write about rock 'n roll. Bernstein, 52 years old, lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.