2003
DECEMBER
December 24, 2003
You've Got E-mail
E-mail, used by almost 90 million Americans, has been changing human communication for almost a decade. Terence Smith reports on e-mail and its effects on American culture. This segment originally aired Jan. 6, 2003.

December 15, 2003
On the Street
Terence Smith speaks with Time magazine correspondent Brian Bennett in Baghdad about Iraqis' reaction to the capture of Saddam Hussein.

December 11, 2003
Central Casting
More local newscasts are increasingly broadcast from the same location in Hunt Valley, Md. Terence Smith goes inside the studios of Sinclair Broadcast Group, which has been criticized for its consolidation that has taken the local out of local news.

December 4, 2003
Gay Marriage?
Massachusetts' highest court last month ruled that a state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, elevating the debate over gay marriage to the national stage -- just in time for the 2004 election. Terence Smith assesses the nation's reaction to the Massachusetts ruling, and samples a range of editorial opinion toward gay marriage with editorial page editors.

NOVEMBER
November 17, 2003
Gays on TV
Terence Smith examines the proliferation -- and popularity -- of gay and lesbian-oriented television shows, and what this new trend in American television suggests about public attitudes toward homosexuality.

November 14, 2003
Tabloid Backlash
In light of the current rape trial of basketball star Kobe Bryant, Terence Smith examines the ubiquity of tabloid-style journalism and its impact on mainstream coverage.

November 4, 2003
Final Cut
Conservatives have won one more for the Gipper. After weeks of rumors that an upcoming CBS miniseries presents an unflattering portrait of former President Reagan and his wife Nancy, the network announced that it will not air the broadcast. CBS said it will instead license the film to Showtime, a cable channel also owned by CBS parent company Viacom. Terence Smith discusses the controversy and the decision with New York Times entertainment correspondent Bernard Weinraub.

OCTOBER
October 29, 2003
Conversation: Deadlines Past
Retired Associated Press correspondent Walter Mears opens his reporter's notebooks in his new book, "Deadlines Past: Forty Years of Presidential Campaigning: A Reporter's Story." Terence Smith speaks with Mears about his 40-year career on the campaign trail.

October 24, 2003
Digital News
More people are reading a daily newspaper without ever touching it. Terence Smith reports on how the online editions of major newspapers have surged in popularity.

October 15, 2003
Poll Mania
The news media use public polls so frequently in their reporting that some journalism ethicists have begun to question whether the polls accurately portray public opinion, or if news reports are merely reflected back in the polls. Additionally, more media organizations are surveying their audience with decidedly unscientific online surveys and the questionable "question of the day" splashed across the television screen just before a commercial break. Terence Smith examines the prevalence of polling in contemporary journalism.

October 13, 2003
The Right Talk
Increasing numbers of Americans are turning their radio dials to the right. Conservative commentators dominate the airwaves and strikingly outnumber their liberal counterparts. Terence Smith reports on the rise of right-wing radio and its influence over its audience in America.

October 9, 2003
Perspectives on Press Leaks
Jim Lehrer reviews the historical context of presidential leaks to the press with journalist and author Haynes Johnson, George Mason University history professor Roger Wilkins, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum Director Richard Norton Smith and Montana State University history professor Joan Hoff.

October 8, 2003
Media Merger: NBC Vivendi
General Electric Co. and Paris-based Vivendi Universal announced that they had reached a final agreement to merge the French company's U.S. entertainment assets with GE's television network NBC, creating a media giant worth an estimated $43 billion. Terence Smith discusses the consolidation and its effect on the industry with New York Times television writer Bill Carter.

October 7, 2003
Conversation: Naked in Baghdad
NPR senior foreign correspondent Anne Garrels gained a unique experience as one of only 16 non-embedded U.S. journalists who remained in Baghdad during the American-led attack on Iraq. Terence Smith speaks with Garrels about her decision to remain in Baghdad, the challenges she faced as an un-embedded female correspondent and her occasionally rocky encounters with the U.S. military, as detailed in her new book, "Naked in Baghdad."

October 3, 2003
Recall Revelations
Two California columnists examine how the sexual misconduct allegations may effect Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger's chances in winning the gubernatorial recall race.

SEPTEMBER
September 30, 2003
In the Shadows
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that White House officials allegedly contacted six journalists to leak classified information about a CIA operative. Terence Smith discusses whether journalists should reveal their sources when they have broken the law with Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism and former media critic for The Los Angeles Times and MSNBC, and Larry Johnson, a former counter-terrorism official at the CIA and the State Department.

September 19, 2003
Changing the Game
Big money is changing the presentation of sports on television, and in some cases, the sports themselves. Terence Smith looks at the changing world of televised sports, and speaks with CBS Sports President Sean McManus and ESPN/ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer about their visions of the future of broadcast sports.

September 16, 2003
Rewriting the Rules
The Senate voted to block the Federal Communications Commission's new media ownership rules from going into effect. Terence Smith reports on the continuing controversy over the FCC decision.

AUGUST
August 28, 2003
Blair's Defense
British Prime Minister Tony Blair answers his critics and responds to BBC claims that former U.N. weapons inspector Dr. David Kelly was the source for reports that the British government manipulated information to persuade the public of its case for going to war with Iraq.

August 21, 2003
Editors' Views
Terence Smith gauges editorial opinion of the U.S. and U.N. roles in postwar Iraq with John Nichols of The Capital Times in Madison, Wis.; Bruce Dold of The Chicago Tribune; John Diaz of The San Francisco Chronicle; and Robert Kittle of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

August 8, 2003
Naming the Accuser
Terence Smith discusses whether media organizations should make public the name of the accuser in stories about rape cases with Geneva Overholser, a professor at the University of Missouri, and Catherine Crier, an executive editor at Court TV

August 5, 2003
Plugged-In Politics
Terence Smith examines Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean's success at building grassroots support in cyberspace and how other presidential candidates are using the Internet to their advantage.

JULY
July 31, 2003
Policing Papers
Terence Smith reports on the changing times at The New York Times with Joann Byrd, a member of the Times' internal Siegel Committee and Susan Tifft, a journalism professor at Duke University.

July 2, 2003
Elusive Weapons
The Bush administration argued that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction posed an imminent threat to the United States and the world in its case for military action against Saddam Hussein. Terence Smith discusses the public's apparent lack of interest in the postwar search for weapons with Rachelle Cohen of The Boston Herald; John Diaz of The San Francisco Chronicle; Dante Ramos of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans; and John Nichols of The Capital-Times in Madison, Wisc.

July 1, 2003
Media Crackdown
For the third time in three years, President Vladimir Putin's government ordered the closure of Russia's last remaining independent television broadcaster. Terence Smith discusses the state of Russian media with Ellen Mickiewicz, a Russian media expert from Duke University, and Yevgeny Kiselyov, former general manager of the now defunct TV-6.

JUNE
June 24, 2003
Editorial Views
Terence Smith gauges reaction to the Supreme Court's affirmative action decisions with Rachelle Cohen of The Boston Herald; John Diaz of The San Francisco Chronicle; Jason Riley of The Wall Street Journal; and Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

June 20, 2003
Spam Wars
Junk e-mail, known commonly as spam, continues to flood inboxes throughout the country. Terence Smith examines the continued effort to stop unwanted e-mail.

June 19, 2003
Beaming Back
Saul Gonzalez of KCET of Los Angeles reports on National Iranian Television, or NITV, broadcast from California, which Iranian officials have blamed for inciting the recent unrest in that country.

June 18, 2003
Multimedia Appeal
News and entertainment outlets are competing for the first interview with rescued prisoner of war Jessica Lynch. Terence Smith reports on CBS's multimedia plan to tell Private Lynch's story. Then, Ray Suarez follows up with Tammy Haddad, a media consultant and radio host, and Tom Wolzien, a senior media analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein Co.

June 17, 2003
Making a Free Press
Terence Smith gets an update on efforts to create a formal media structure in Iraq from Deborah Amos, an NPR News correspondent reporting from Baghdad, and David Hoffman, president of the Internews Network, a non-government organization based in the U.S. that helped organize a recent conference of Iraqi journalists and others in Athens.

June 12, 2003
In Memoriam: David Brinkley
Television news icon David Brinkley died last night at his home in Houston. Terence Smith discusses the newsman's life with former NewsHour anchor Robert MacNeil, who worked with Brinkley when they were both at NBC.

June 10, 2003
Saving Private Lynch
A recent BBC documentary deconstructed the Pentagon's version of the rescue of Private Jessica Lynch and the American media's reporting on the operation. Terence Smith discusses whether the American media too willingly accepted the Lynch story as presented by the Pentagon with Tom Rosenstiel, Joe Galloway, and E.A. Torriero.

June 5, 2003
Update: Troubled Times
New York Times Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd resigned from their posts in the wake of a damaging plagiarism scandal and amid lingering concerns over the newspaper's management style and work atmosphere. Terence Smith discusses whether the resignations will restore confidence in The New York Times within its newsroom and in the public's eyes with Alex Jones, director of the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy at Harvard University, and Geneva Overholser, syndicated columnist and a professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

June 4, 2003
Update: Rewriting the Rules
Terence Smith reports on the Senate's consideration of the new media ownership rules.

June 2, 2003
Rewriting the Rules
The Federal Communications Commission voted to relax its long-standing regulations on media ownership. Terence Smith talks with FCC Chairman Michael Powell about the new ownership rules and their implications for consumers. Then Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), an opponent of the new rules, discusses his views on the decision and the potential for a congressional move to negate the FCC's action.

MAY
May 28, 2003
Shock Waves
The controversy over former New York Times reporter Jayson Blair's plagiarized and fabricated stories has caused upheaval within the paper and reverberated in newsrooms across the country. Terence Smith discusses the issue with media experts Marvin Kalb, Greg Mitchell, John Temple, and Julia Wallace.

May 26, 2003
Selling Books
Hard times have hit book publishers. Terence Smith reports on recent trends within the book publishing industry.

May 23, 2003
Managing the Message
The resignation of White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and President Bush's speech at Mt. Rushmore have drawn attention to the way the administration projects the president's image.

May 23, 2003
Shields and Brooks
Jim Lehrer discusses the tax cut bill, President Bush's media operations and the other political developments of the week with syndicated columnist Mark Shields and The Weekly Standard's David Brooks.

May 15, 2003
Media Monopoly?
The Federal Communications Commission will vote early next month to revise the rules that govern media ownership in the United States. Terence Smith discusses these possible changes with Gene Kimmelman, senior director for public policy at the Consumers Union; and B. Robert Okun, a vice president at NBC and head of the network's Washington office.

May 13, 2003
Reality TV
Essayist Clarence Page of The Chicago Tribune considers the television coverage of the war in Iraq.

May 12, 2003
Management Failure?
Terence Smith reports on the New York Times' recent experience of dealing with plagiarism and fabrication and discusses its implications with guests Geneva Overholser, professor of journalism at University of Missouri and former ombudsman for The Washington Post; and Phil Bronstein, the executive editor of The San Francisco Chronicle.

May 9, 2003
Search for the Truth
Terence Smith speaks with Howell Raines, executive editor of The New York Times, about reporter Jayson Blair's resignation for plagiarism and the journalistic ethics issues the incident raises.

APRIL
April 28, 2003
Weblogging
Web logs, or "blogs," are personal, online journals - and one of the fastest growing trends on the Internet. Terence Smith explores the motivation behind blogging and whether blogs represent the future of journalism.

April 24, 2003
Copyright Angst
The Recording Industry Association of America sued four students earlier this month, alleging they operated music-sharing Web sites. Terence Smith reports on the entertainment industry's efforts to stop the downloading of copyrighted music and film from the Internet.

April 21, 2003
The Media's War
More than 600 journalists traveled with U.S. forces in Iraq as part of the Defense Department's embedded journalists program. Terence Smith discusses the process and products of the embed program with two formerly embedded journalists.

April 15, 2003
The Media's War
Terence Smith discusses the controversy over CNN's Iraq coverage before the war with Jordan Eason, CNN chief news executive, and Franklin Foer, associate editor of The New Republic.

April 8, 2003
War Images
Terence Smith speaks with two Time photographers covering Iraq: Robert Nickelsberg, a veteran war photographer embedded with the 1st Marine Division, and Kate Brooks, who is working in northern Iraq.

April 6, 2003
A Different Language
Terence Smith looks at how the Arab media are covering the war.

MARCH
March 30, 2003
Inside Baghdad
Jim Lehrer speaks with The New York Times correspondent John Burns about what it's like to report from Baghdad during wartime.

March 30, 2003
Public Opinion
Terence Smith dicusses public opinion on the Iraq war with Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. They are joined by three ombudsmen: Michael Getler of The Washington Post, Lou Gelfand of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and Sanders LaMont of The Sacramento Bee.

March 22, 2003
War, Live
Terence Smith reports on how the media are reporting the war in real time and how embedded journalists are changing the way war coverage is viewed.

March 14, 2003
Sunday Star Wars
The Sunday political talk shows have become a public forum for government officials to explain, attack or defend their Iraq policies. Terence Smith examines how these television programs influence the political process.

March 6, 2003
What the Public Thinks
Recent polls suggest that Americans' support of war with Iraq is not uniform, with divisions along voting and gender lines. What do these surveys say about America's attitudes about a potential war in Iraq?

FEBRUARY
February 20, 2003
A Master's Challenge
Terence Smith reports on a golf story that is reverberating beyond the fairway.

February 18, 2003
Battlefield Bylines
Some 500 journalists have received authorization from the Pentagon to accompany American troops in the event of an invasion of Iraq. After a report, Terence Smith discusses the media's rules of engagement with Barbara Starr, a Pentagon correspondent for CNN; and Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations.

February 17, 2003
Book Conversation: Scotty
Terence Smith talks to John Stacks, author of Scotty: James B. Reston and the Rise and Fall of American Journalism, about James "Scotty" Reston, the late New York Times columnist.

February 6, 2003
Homefront Reaction
Terence Smith samples opinions on Powell's address to the U.N. Security Council Wednesday. He speaks with four editorial page editors from across the country, including Cynthia Tucker from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Frank Burgos from the Philadelphia Daily News; Robert Kittle of the San Diego Union Tribune; and Rachelle Cohen from the Boston Herald.

JANUARY
January 30, 2003
Vanishing Value
The world's largest media company posts an annual loss of $99 billion -- the largest corporate drop in U.S. history. Paul Solman of WGBH Boston looks at how the Internet and media giant has incurred the largest loss of any American company in history.

January 23, 2003
In Memorium: Bill Mauldin
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Bill Mauldin died Wednesday. Terence Smith discusses Mauldin's life and work with cartoonist Jules Feiffer.

January 21, 2003
Public Diplomacy
Terence Smith looks at the U.S. public diplomacy campaign towards Muslim countries and talks with critics and supporters, including State Department undersecretary Charlotte Beers, who headed up the agency's outreach project.

January 16, 2003
Tom's Journal
Columnist Tom Friedman of The New York Times talks with Margaret Warner about his recent trip to Egypt and Israel.

January 16, 2003
Press Under Fire
Terence Smith discusses the risks of reporting in Colombia with journalists Ignacio "Nacho" Gomez and Maria Cristina Caballero.

January 13, 2003
Dealmaker's Downfall
Terence Smith and guests discuss Steve Case's decision to step down as chairman of AOL Time Warner, and what it will mean for the company's future.

January 10, 2003
Dialogue: America's Role
Terence Smith hosts a dialogue between Washington Post columnist William Raspberry and former CIA Director James Woolsey about America's role in the world.

January 8, 2003
Power To The People
Terence Smith examines the growing power of low-power, local radio.

January 6, 2003
You've Got E-Mail
E-mail has been changing human communication for almost a decade. About 90 million Americans use the electronic medium. Terence Smith reports on e-mail and its effects on American culture.