A sponsor's product appears on a CNN segment, and some see a weaker news-advertising division.
Date: 11 February 2004
By Stuart Elliott
Stuart Elliott
CNN says appearance on camera of sponsor's product in Feb 3 segment of American Morning news show was accidental and unintentional; glimpse of package of Total cereal made by General Mills opens network to complaints about blurring lines between advertising and editorial content; photo (M)
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World Briefing | Europe: France: News Director Out Over Erroneous Report
Date: 12 February 2004
By Ariane Bernard (NYT)
Ariane NYT
Oliver Mazerolle, news director of state-owned France 2, television network, steps down after vote of no confidence by journalists; network recently reported inaccurate story about former Prime Minister Alain Juppe's alleged departure from politics; photo (S)
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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE: REGIONAL MARKETS -- Manhattan; For CNN, a View of the Park And an Eye to the World
Date: 11 February 2004
By John Holusha
John Holusha
Article on CNN's new studios that are under construction in new Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle; studios and control rooms are expected to be in operation in summer; photo (M)
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Regime Thought War Unlikely, Iraqis Tell U.S.
Date: 12 February 2004
By Thom Shanker
Thom Shanker
Captured Iraqi leaders and former officers say under questioning that Saddam Hussein dismissed threat of war with United States, believing that 'casualty adverse' White House would order only bombing campaign that Iraq could withstand; say he was so convinced that war would be averted that he deployed Iraqi military to crush domestic uprisings rather than defend against ground invasion; say Iraqi Defense Ministry, in another grand miscalculation, believed that any ground offensive would come across Jordanian border despite broad news media coverage of American and British buildup in Kuwait; interrogations yield portrait of government disconnected from reality in peace and in war, where Hussein's inner circle routinely lied to him and each other about Iraqi military capacities; interrogations also reveal flaws in Pentagon's prewar operations, particularly information campaign to demoralize and sway Iraqis from commanders down to foot soldiers; even so, campaigns scored unexpected successes; American military officers say interrogations validate decisions to send ground forces from south and to use small number of Special Operations forces in western Iraq instead of large infantry forces in that section of nation (M)
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White House Memo; Anxiety Takes Hold of Presidential Aides Caught Up in Inquiry Over Leak
Date: 12 February 2004
By Richard W. Stevenson and David Johnston
Richard Stevenson
FBI investigation into who at White House leaked name of undercover CIA officer has become much more intense in last few weeks; some administration officials have been summoned for confrontational interviews; current and former members of White House's communications and foreign policy teams have hired lawyers; at least handful of White House aides have had to appear before federal grand jury; case has heated up sinc Dec, when Atty Gen John Ashcroft removed himself from it and Justice Dept putmatter in hands of US Atty Patrick J Fitzgerald (M)
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G.M. SETTLES SUIT ON LENDING DISCRIMINATION
Date: 11 February 2004
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
General Motors Corp agrees to pay as much as $11.2 million to settle class-action lawsuit that claimed its finance unit General Motors Acceptance Corp charged higher interest rates for blacks than for whites; will pay as much as $9.6 million in fees and expenses and spend $1.6 million to educate consumers about credit financing; finance unit will also cap how much GM dealers can markr up interest rates on vehicle loans and start marketing effort aimed at generating 1.25 million loan offers over five years to black and Hispanic customers (S)
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RECORD PROFIT FOR AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP
Date: 12 February 2004
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
American International Group had record $2.71 billion profit in fourth quarter compared with loss of $103.8 million year earlier; revenue was up 27 percent, to $81.3 billion (S)
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PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS BUY BARTLETT NUCLEAR
Date: 11 February 2004
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Berkshire Partners and Summit Partners acquire Bartlett Nuclear Inc, provider of radiation-detection and cleanup workers to 80 nuclear power plants in US; financial terms undisclosed (S)
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U.S. STARTS ANTITRUST INVESTIGATION OF YARN MAKER
Date: 12 February 2004
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Unifi Inc says Justice Department is investigating possible violations of antitrust rules by its Parkdale America affiliate, which participated in activities with competitors in markets for cotton fibers used in hosiery and other garments (S)
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MAGUIRE PROPERTIES TO BUY BIG OFFICE COMPLEX
Date: 11 February 2004
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Maguire Properties Inc, largest owner of office towers in downtown Los Angeles, agrees to buy 1.7-million-square-foot Park Place office complex in Orange County, Calif, from affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Advisers (S)
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