From: harelb@MATH.CORNELL.EDU (Harel Barzilai)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc,alt.activism,alt.news-media,alt.censorship
Subject: MEDIA: NBC Axes GE Critic
Date: 8 Apr 92 07:42:51 GMT
Followup-To: alt.news-media,alt.activism
Organization: misc.activism.progressive on UseNet ; ACTIV-L@UMCVMB


NOTE BELOW: Copyright applies to any non-electronic reproduction!

From PeaceNet(USA)/Pegasus(Australia):
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Topic 200       NBC Axes GE Critic 
peg:aldis       media.issues     2:24 pm  Apr  7, 1992 

This article has been reproduced for distribution on this network with the 
kind permission of Australian Associated Press.  Reproduction in any other 
form is subject to normal copyright requirements.  
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AUSSIE ACTIVIST "AXED" FROM NBC SHOW 

By Dale Paget, through AAP 

SAN DIEGO, California, April 6 AAP _ Australian anti-nuclear 
activist Helen Caldicott claims she was axed from the NBC morning 
news program, Today, after producers discovered her latest book 
blasted the network's owner, General Electric. 

Dr Caldicott, currently on a promotional tour of Canada, said 
the Today show cancelled an interview planned for next week after 
receiving a copy of the book, "If You Love This Planet: A Plan to 
Heal the Earth". 

"They were terribly keen and terribly excited six months ago 
when the appearance was arranged but then they received the book a 
couple of weeks ago and they cancelled," Caldicott said. 

"I assume it's because I have used GE as a case history of a 
very polluting, very dangerous trans-national organisation and GE 
happens to own NBC," she said. 

Today show spokeswoman Lynn Appelbaum described the charges as 
"completely erroneous". 

"We cancelled Helen Caldicott's appearance before we saw the 
book," Appelbaum said. 

"We explicitly stated that that particular content of the book 
had nothing to do with our decision to cancel her from the show." 

Asked if General Electric had any influence over the content of 
the Today show Applebaum replied: "Of course not." 

But Caldicott is not convinced. 

"Why would they be so excited and so enthusiastic and then some 
days after receiving the book they cancel. Circumstantial evidence 
is pretty obvious," she said. 

"Today" is aired on the Seven Network in Australia. 

According to Caldicott's New York publisher, W W Norton, a Today 
show producer said the program had decided that the author was "too 
radical." 

"They also said they had done a lot of environmental subjects 
recently and felt that ultimately they didn't need to do yet 
another," said the publisher's publicity director, Fran 
Rosencrantz. 

"If You Love this Planet: A Plan to Heal the Earth" will be 
released in Australia in July. 

In the book Caldicott claims there is limited time to "save the 
planet from the effects of ozone depletion, global warming, 
pollution, nuclear war and over population." 

She also writes about the need for an independent media. 

"If the media are not free and can't tell the truth like NBC 
because it is run by GE how are we going to inform democracies?" 
she said. 

Calidcott has five weeks to go on an eight week book promoting 
tour of 30 cities in the United States and Canada. 

                         * * * * * 

Australian Associated Press (AAP) is a news wire service specialising in 
the provision of general news articles for print, radio and television 
media.  Address: GPO Box 3888, SYDNEY  2001, AUSTRALIA.  Phone: +61 2 236 
8800.  Fax: +61 2 236 8839. 

Disclaimer:  I am not an employee or associate of Australian Associated 
Press.  I just think they provide a good and reasonably even-handed news 
service. 

Aldis Ozols 
Sydney, Australia 
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