Media Gives Varied Coverage of Story

Despite a strong turnout from members of the media at yesterday's press conference announcing 26th Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine's decision to step down temporarily because of medical reasons, television coverage was scanty.

The event, however, made FrontPage news in both the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald.

At the conference, newly appointed Acting President Albert Carnesale--who are also provost and dean of the Kennedy School of Government--read from official statements, spoke briefly and then fielded questions from reporters.

Reporters from across the country attended, and at least 10 television cameras were in the audience.

Major local television stations WBZ Channel 4, WHDH Channel 7 and WCVB Channel 5 all sent a reporter and a photographer to the Faculty Club to cover the event, according to spokespersons.

But only WBZ and WCVB broadcast news of Rudenstine's leave of absence as of late last night.

Night executive producer of WBZ news Caren Connelly said the channel's 6 p.m. news show featured a report that lasted about "15 second[s]."

A WCVB spokesperson said the station broadcast the news on the 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. telecasts.

A WHDH representative said this morning's broadcast would include the story.

Coverage in the Boston Globe highlighted the beliefs of several administrators and faculty members that overwork and stress were leading factors that contributed to Rudenstine's illness.

The Boston Herald quoted Carnesale as saying that Rudenstine's fatigue is most likely related to intense responsibilities at work.

Harvard Independent Editor-in-Chief Michael W. Dees '96 said that the newspaper had two reporters on the scene at yesterday's conference.

An article on the event would be in this week's edition of the Independent, Dees added, but he declined to elaborate further, explaining he was "not certain" as to the kind of feature which will run this Thursday.

Crimson editor Elizabeth T. Bangs '97 said several reporters "asked some really bizarre questions" in the course of the 15-minute conference.

"One asked what the President does--it was an absurd question, a real waste of time," Bangs said.

Another reporter asked "if HIV has been ruled out" as a factor in Rudenstine's medical condition, Bangs said.