Conventional Coverage

PBS anchor Jim Lehrer blasted the major TV networks for limited coverage of the political conventions, since "we're about to elect a president of the United States at a time when we have young people dying in our name overseas, [and] we just had a report from the 9/11 commission which says we are not safe." NBC's Tom Brokaw countered, "These conventions are so managed, so over-managed" there's not much to report. Brokaw complained about Kerry campaign media control, saying, "There is a politburo running this convention." For a joint CBS/NBC interview, campaign "staff wanted the questions to concern Mr. Kerry's expectations for the convention, nothing more" - a request that was "swiftly denied."