Cablegate: Media Reaction Terror Attacks in the U. S.;

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AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P,
INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION TERROR ATTACKS IN THE U. S.;
HARARE

1. THE TERRORIST ATTACKS IN THE UNITED STATES RECEIVED
BLANKET COVERAGE IN BOTH THE PRINT AND ELECTRONIC
MEDIA. THE STATE-FUNDED NATIONAL BROADCASTING
TELEVISION STATION, ZTV 1, SUSPENDED NORMAL
PROGRAMMING YESTERDAY (SEPTEMBER 11) AFTERNOON
WHEN CABLE NEWS NETWORK STARTED AIRING FOOTAGE OF
THE BREAKING NEWS. ALL FOUR STATE-FUNDED RADIO
STATIONS FOLLOWED SUIT BY BROADCASTING, AT
INTERVALS, EITHER BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
(BBC) OR VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA) REPORTS ABOUT THE
ATTACKS. THE ATTACKS DOMINATED THE ZTV'S MAIN
NEWS BULLETIN AT 2000 HOURS. THE STATION RELAYED
LIVE CNN COVERAGE DURING THE BULLETIN AND
SUBSEQUENT TELEVISION NEWS BROADCASTS.

2. WIRE SERVICE REPORTS ABOUT THE ATTACKS DOMINATED
ALL
SEPTEMBER 12 EDITIONS OF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY
"THE DAILY NEWS" AND TWO GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED
DAILIES "THE HERALD" AND THE "CHRONICLE." THE
"DAILY NEWS" USED REUTER'S COPY AND PHOTOGRAPHS.
THEY PRINTED THREE COLOR PICTURES OF THE TWIN
TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSING AFTER
TWO PLANES CRASHED INTO THEM. "U. S. ATTACKED:
THOUSAND FEARED DEAD," READ THE HEADLINE OF THE
LEAD ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE "DAILY NEWS." THE
NEWSPAPER ALSO CARRIED TWO ARTICLES ON PAGE FOUR
UNDER HEADLINES "WORLD GOES ON ALERT," AND "HAMAS
LEADER DENIES LINKS WITH U. S. ATTACKS."

3. USING AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE (AFP) WIRE COPY, THE
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"HERALD" PRINTED ITS LEAD ARTICLE UNDER HEADLINE
"TERROR ATTACKS IN U. S.: THOUSANDS FEARED DEAD: AIR
TRAFFIC SUSPENDED." THE NEWSPAPER ALSO PRINTED AN AFP
COLOR PICTURE OF A COMPOSITE IMAGE TAKEN OFF RUSSIAN
NTV TELEVISION CHANNEL SHOWING A HIJACKED PLANE AS IT
CRASHED INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IN NEW YORK. THE
BROAD SHEET ALSO DEDICATED AN ENTIRE PAGE TO ANOTHER
AFP ARTICLE AND THREE REUTERS ARTICLES ABOUT THE
ATTACKS UNDER THE FOLLOWING HEADLINES: "ATTACKS ON U.
S. SHOCK WORLD," "PALESTINIANS GREET BOMBING NEWS WITH
JUBILANT GUNFIRE," "GADAFFI OFFERS CONDOLENCES," AND
"AFGHANISTAN ABSOLVES BIN LADEN," RESPECTIVELY. THE
NEWSPAPER PRINTED, ON THE SAME PAGE, A BLACK AND WHITE
AFP VIDEOGRAB OFF FRENCH TV CHANNEL TF1 SHOWING THE
SOUTH TOWER OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSING.

4. ANOTHER GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY "THE
CHRONICLE" PRINTED ITS LEAD ARTICLE UNDER HEADLINE "U.
S. UNDER SIEGE: WORST TERRORIST ATTACK SEND SHOCK WAVES
AROUND WORLD." THE TABLOID USED AFP WIRE COPY AND
PRINTED AN AFP COLOR PHOTOGRAPH ON PAGE ONE SHOWING
SMOKE BILLOWING UP AFTER THE FIRST OF THE TWO TOWERS OF
THE WORLD TRADE CENTER COLLAPSING. THE NEWSPAPER ALSO
DEDICATED A FULL INSIDE PAGE TO WIRE ARTICLES BY AFP
ABOUT THE DISASTER AND TWO PICTURES OF THE TWIN TOWERS
COLLAPSING AND A TELEVISION FRAME GRAB, COURTESY OF
CNN, SHOWING SMOKE BILLOWING FROM THE PENTAGON IN
WASHINGTON, DC.

5. THE ZIMBABWEAN MEDIA HAVE NOT YET OFFERED
EDITORIAL COMMENT ON THE ATTACKS. WE WILL REPORT
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ADDITIONAL COVERAGE AND REACTION AS IT OCCURS.

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