rjwill6@PacBell.COM (Rod Williams) (01/24/91)
I was watching Jim Lehrer moderating a discussion on the impact of Iraq's destruction of Kuwaiti oilwells last night (1/22). One guest was with Jim in Washington DC, the other was at the WNET studios in New York City. It seemed as if Jim had forgotten all about his NYC visitor - he kept asking the DC guy questions. Then he turned to the camera and announced that there seemed to be some kind of demonstration going on in the WNET studios and that they'd be limiting the discussion to DC until things settled down. After a few minutes, during which Jim kept glancing over, presumably, to his WNET monitor, contact was resumed with NYC. Jim said, "before I ask [the NYC guest] a question, I want to ask Robert McNeil what *that* was all about?" Robin came on and said a non-violent group of demonstrators from ACT UP had got into the studios to protest that McNeil-Lehrer spent too much time covering the War in the Gulf and not enough time covering the War against AIDS. Robin said he told the protestors that they had covered AIDS in depth in the past and would continue to do so in the future, and the protestors then left. None of the zap was shown on screen, but there was no doubt what had happened, and that it had happened in a dignified and civilized way that put ACT UP's message across loud-and-clear, without making any of the parties involved look rude or foolish. I was very impressed. -- * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Rod Williams * War. What is it good for? * * Pacific Bell - San Ramon CA * Absolutely nothing. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *