HOW THE BOMBING WAS REPORTED OVERSEAS

The allied military briefing that revealed the bombing in Baghdad and death of many civilians came in time for evening news broadcasts in Europe and the Middle East. Here is how some of the foreign networks reported the story:

* SOVIET UNION: Vremya, Soviet state television’s nightly news program, announced that 500 to 700 people, mostly women, children and the elderly, were killed when bombs hit a Baghdad shelter. An anchor said a wire service reported that there were no military objects in the region, just a medical center, a market and a mosque. The allied explanation of the bombing was not mentioned.

* BRITAIN: There was footage of bomb damage, rescue workers, bodies being carried out in blankets or plastic sheeting but few close-ups. The Iraqis were quoted as saying the number of dead was between 600 and 800. Iraqi officials were shown insisting that it was a civilian bomb shelter.

* FRANCE: The anchor on the leading network said, “The worst fear of the Gulf War appears to have occurred in Baghdad.” The network’s correspondent described the bombed-out structure as a shelter built in 1984 to protect the civilian population during the Iran-Iraq War. The report included U.S. military explanations. Concluding the report, the correspondent added that U.S. claims that the Iraqis moved civilians into military sites had some credibility, because the Iraqi leader had already proven his willingness to sacrifice his own citizens.

* GERMANY: German television broadcast several minutes of graphic footage from the bombed building and noted that the attack fell on the 46th anniversary of another controversial bombing--the Allied blitz against Dresden during World War II. The anchor said the building had been used as a civilian shelter since the start of the war. A network correspondent described the mood in Washington as “sad and shocked” and noted that “Americans believe this is a just war against Saddam’s military machine . . . and now they will see the pictures of these civilians . . . “

* JORDAN: State-run television broadcast its own highly emotional footage of wailing fathers and husbands whose wives and children had perished in the allied assault, while the newscaster impartially reported the day’s event in Baghdad. After that, CNN’s footage, which was much tamer, was shown. At the end, Jordanian TV cut to a locally produced news special that began with President Bush delivering the speech that contained his “kinder, gentler nation” quote and then showed footage of bombing and burned children at the building.

* ISRAEL: The government-controlled TV network carried CNN footage including correspondent Peter Arnett’s report, his questioning by a CNN anchor, the smoldering facility, rescue workers and covered bodies, and an interview with a burn victim. The news program also broadcast parts of the military explanations, including a segment in which a Marine spokesman suggested that Saddam Hussein placed civilians at the site to trap the Americans into a scandal.