The Press Corps

Regarding David Shaw’s review of “Why America Hates the Press” (Oct. 22). It is clear that the only thing wrong with the program is that it should have been called instead “What Americans Need to Know About the Washington Press Corps.”

If celebrity ABC news personality Cokie Roberts collects thousands of dollars by moonlighting on the lobbyist lecture circuit and may have a serious conflict of interest by doing so, the public needs to know that fact--either by watching a repeat of this program or reading James Fallows’ “Breaking the News.” They certainly won’t hear that fact if their sole source of information is the Los Angeles Times.

Though Shaw is correct in noting that the audience for shows like “Meet the Press” and “This Week . . .” is small, he misses the point about the significance of these programs. Some of the people who watch them are policy makers and opinion makers. Furthermore, what guests say on these shows is repeated in many newspapers the next morning.

ROY ULRICH

Santa Monica