Justices' Ruling Is Good News to Small Town's Pastor
Date: 12 June 2001
By Kate Zernike
Kate Zernike
Decision by US Supreme Court that public schools must open doors to after-school religious activities on same basis as any other after-hours activity that school policy permits is praised by Rev Stephen D Fournier, who says it represents victory for everyone since freedom has been upheld; says not allowing his Good News Club to meet in elementary school in Milford, NY, was denying him same basic right that other groups enjoy; school district weighs barring all groups; superintendent Peter N Livishin comments; photo (M)
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THE McVEIGH EXECUTION: CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK -- THE COVERAGE; The Oklahoma Bomber's Final Hours Are Hardly Television News's Finest
Date: 12 June 2001
By Caryn James
Caryn James
Critic's Notebook column on television coverage of execution of Timothy J McVeigh, condemned for 1995 bombing of federal office building in Oklahoma City, Okla, which killed 168 people; says networks helped McVeigh achieve fame by turning him into celebrity, even though they pretended not to; photo (M)
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Hughes Warns of a Slower Rate of New Subscribers for DirecTV
Date: 12 June 2001
By Andrew Ross Sorkin
Andrew Sorkin
Hughes Electronics Corp, unit of General Motors that owns satellite broadcasting service DirecTV, says it is adding new subscribers at considerably slower rate than it previously forecast; attributes poor performance in part to amount of attention company's top officials have recently paid to sorting out details of possible takeover bid by News Corp, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch (M)
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Taipei Weighs TV Network Tied to China
Date: 11 June 2001
By Mark Landler
Mark Landler
Phoenix Satellite Television seeks to become first channel backed by Chinese mainland interests to broadcast in Taiwan with bid to offer Chinese-language news channel; responds to new interest in Taiwan about news in China; must overcome what has been big differences in taste between residents of China and Taiwan; is run by Liu Chang Le in partnership with Rupert Murdoch's Star TV; photo (M)
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Proselytizing in the Schools
Date: 12 June 2001
Editorial says US Supreme Court has 'lurched alarmingly' in opposite direction, year after its 'proud decision' refusing to allow organized student-led prayers before public high school football games, by allowing religious use of public schools it says will pose far more serious practical threat to principles of religious neutrality and church-state separation
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Top Court Gives Religious Clubs Equal Footing in Grade Schools
Date: 12 June 2001
By Linda Greenhouse
Linda Greenhouse
US Supreme Court, rules 6-3 that public schools must open doors to after-school religious activities, including those that involve young children, on same basis as any other after-hour activity that school policy permits; extends to elementary school property same constitutional principle already applied to public high schools and colleges, namely, that expression of religious viewpoint is speech, protected by First Amendment against discrimination and entitled on neutral basis to access to public facilities open to other speakers; overturns lower-court ruling in case involving Good News Clubs, upholding decision by Milford, NY, school district barring evangelical Christian organization, Good News Clubs, from using room in school building on same basis as other groups; upholds, 5-4, constitutionality of provision of immigration laws that treats differently mothers and fathers of children born out of wedlock overseas when only one parent is US citizen; acting on basis of decision in case of retarded death-row inmate Johnny Paul Penry, overturns death sentence of Mark Robertson, Texas inmate whose sentencing jury received same deficient instructions on how to consider mitigating evidence (M)
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Candidate Hoping New York Is Newest Bloomberg Market
Date: 11 June 2001
By Leslie Eaton
Leslie Eaton
Article profiles Michael Bloomberg, billionaire media magnate running as Republican candidate for New York City mayor; he says he can be equally as successful serving people of New York as he has been running media conglomerate, which he started from scratch in 1981; photos (M)
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In Mexico, Publisher Finds New Players But Old Secrecy
Date: 11 June 2001
By Anthony Depalma
Anthony Depalma
Leading Mexican newspaper publisher Alejandro Junco says election of Vicente Fox as president has failed to lead to new era of openness Fox promised during campaign; says reporters still lack access to government files on disturbing incidents that occurred during long reign of ousted Institutional Revolutionary Party; notes officials now claim Fox's enemies would use open access law to embarrass new government; his crusade for freedom of information law is under attack by government as self-serving; photos (M)
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MediaTalk; The Executive Author Confronts Corporate Sprawl
Date: 11 June 2001
By David D. Kirkpatrick
David
General Electric chairman John F Welch Jr, who sold rights to his memoirs to AOL Time Warner's book publishing division for near-record $7.1 million advance, refuses to promote book on AOL Time Warner's CNN show Moneyline because show competes too closely with GE's CNBC show Business Center; will appear on Today, program on GE-owned NBC (S)
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PATENT-INFRINGEMENT VERDICT UPHELD AGAINST MEDTRONIC
Date: 12 June 2001
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
US Appeals Court upholds $47.8 million patent-infringement verdict against Sofamor Danek Group unit of Medtronic Inc; case involves design of device to straighten spines; AcroMed, unit of Johnson & Johnson, said it owned rights to patent design created by AcroMed's founder, Dr Arthur D Steffee (S)
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