European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse To links up with publications to afford Newsby Deborah Hastings a television writer time was to reporters looked Down their perfect noses at their Ink stained colleagues and snickered. Unkempt print reporters glaring Back considered broadcast journalists pancakes poseurs. But hard times make for strange confederates. Or. As Cable news network executive vice president de Tut tier put it a i think we can All live in the same House if not the same bedroom and share cooking bending Over the same pot of dwindling and revenues to news divisions and print organizations Are turning to each other to make ends meet. Sometimes television and the written word link camera and pen simply to reach a bigger audience. Most of the time however it is to get a bigger bang from shrinking Bucks. Abc news and its night inc program have joined with the financial times of London to investigate the so called a october Surprise Quot Story and iraqis postwar nuclear and chemical Arsenal. Abc news also shared resources with time Magazine in reporting the Bank of credit and Commerce International scandal. And in an unprecedented marriage of networks Abc and pcs announced this summer they will provide joint coverage of the 1992 democratic and Republican conventions. This stepped up relationship Between journalistic rivals is not confined to National Media. Local coupling also is taking place. In san Diego for example the san Diego Tribune and a gov Channel 10 have formed an Alliance called new Slink for coverage of the same stories. Tribune editor Neil Morgan said new Slink combines a the most comprehensive source of information in san Diego county Quot with the a Best source of broadcast new such niceties Are a far cry from the usual contemptuous relationship Between print reporters and to journalists. But despite their professed disdain for each other print and television organizations have been working together for decades in one lesser form or another. In the past the associations largely were confined to political or opinion polls in which two normally competitive news organizations shared the surveys results and costs. The reason for the newest twist on this relationship is simple. Quot the Cost of gathering news has become More expensive than the advertising Revenue generated from it a said Sid pc dvrs. An executive producer in no cd a news division. None of the news executives involved in ongoing collaborations even hinted that such joint ventures were bad news for journalism. A the Only danger and i done to Sec this happening is if you have Only one news source a pc dvrs Abc Fronk mice lotto Ted Koppel and his nightlife show have teamed with the financial times of London on stories. Said. Quot As Long As there Are others out there not Beholden to you. Reporting the Story then the audience is served and the reporting is nightlife teamed with the financial l Imes of London after a March broadcast in which reporter Alan Friedman discussed the financial holdings of iraqi Leader Saddam Hussein. Program spokeswoman 1 Aura Wessner said. Quot it became Clear that nightlife and the f financial l Imes were working on similar a standing investigative unit called Quot project a Quot consist ing of about a dozen people was established to work with the British publication. Nightlife executive producer Tom Bettag said the Union has helped Cut the tremendous costs of researching investigative stories. Quot a e could t have done what we be done in Bettag said. Quot it would have broken the w hat nightlife and the financial l Imes did. In the Case of the Quot october Surprise Quot Story was to probe Well circulated allegations that americans acting on behalf of the Reagan Bush Campaign conspired in 1980 to delay the release of >2 . Citizens held hostage in Iran. Nightlife Host Ted Koppel. Quoting from an off camera interview said during a june broadcast that an iranian arms dealer claimed to have been present during Madrid hotel meetings in which the late William Casey former Cia director and Reagan Bush Campaign manager negotiated for the hostages Freedom. But Casey Koppel quotes the arms dealer As saying did no to want the prisoners released until after Reagan took office. Eleven year old hotel records obtained by nightlife and the financial times placed the arms dealer and a Casey aide at a Madrid hotel during the same dates the alleged meetings took place. One Day after that broadcast the financial times carried the Story with More detail. Quot we worked Side by Side Quot Bettag said. Quot the financial times does no to have a saturday edition so we would not release anything on a Friday night. We would agree on a release and no Bettag insisted such agreements do not hinder competitive reporting. A i think the Pentagon Pool in saudi Arabia was a disaster and i will scream about that till the Day i die Quot Bettag said. Quot this has to be kept distinct from Abc and can have joint ventures with print organizations that were not prompted by financial constraints. For a one week period that began sept. I Abc and Newsweek ran comprehensive stories on the plight of american cities neither news organization shared resources. Quot this was done for l eders said. Can and the l Imes Mirror foundation the Public policy end of the corporation that publishes newspapers including the Angeles l Imes and new Day. Conducted a joint poll in Eastern and Western Europe on attitudes toward work acid democracy. Hie results will be used by can in a 30-part series to be aired this month. Times Mirror will publish the findings in a special sept. 17 edition of the Angeles times weekly world report 8, 1991 sunday a
