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CNN Saturday Morning News

NBC Tightens Security After Worker is Exposed to Anthrax

Aired October 13, 2001 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Officials at NBC say they are tightening security at their Rockefeller Center headquarters after a worker tested positive for anthrax. Other media outlets are also increasing their security.

We get more now from CNN's Garrick Utley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARRICK UTLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): NBC was the first to report the news on its cable network.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MSNBC ANCHOR: It's frankly close to home. Involves in NBC employee at our company's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Center...

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UTLEY: Where a business-size envelope containing a threatening letter and suspicious white powder arrived last month on the third floor, home of "NBC Nightly News." It was addressed to Tom Brokaw and opened by his assistant.

At a news conference, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announced that the entire floor where the NBC newsroom and studios and the people who work there would be tested for anthrax.

MAYOR RUDOLPH GIULIANI, NEW YORK: Those same people who are going to be tested will be administered Cipro as a prophylaxis, in other words, to prevent the outside possibility that in some way they may have been infected.

UTLEY: It was on September 25 that the NBC News employee received the mail with the powder. Suspicious, she called security. The powder tested negative. But the employee developed a skin rash and low fever and went to a doctor. On October 1, she began taking antibiotics. She was also tested for anthrax.

The test results, released Friday, found that the employee had a cutaneous, or skin, anthrax infection. Her full recovery is expected.

Although no other cases in the building have been reported, that's been little comfort to those who work there.

UNIDENTIFIED NBC EMPLOYEE: The fact that something was sent through a piece of mail or package, (inaudible), in our building, it could have gone to our floor. I mean, I'm very nervous and very concerned. It's very upsetting.

UNIDENTIFIED NBC EMPLOYEE: We were so uninformed...

UNIDENTIFIED NBC EMPLOYEE: Exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED NBC EMPLOYEE: ... because we hear that this happened 10 days ago...

UNIDENTIFIED NBC EMPLOYEE: Ten days ago, two weeks ago.

UNIDENTIFIED NBC EMPLOYEE: And we're just finding out now. Do you know how much amount, how many packages I've opened up in the past two weeks?

UNIDENTIFIED NBC EMPLOYEE: Exactly.

UNIDENTIFIED NBC EMPLOYEE: My boss, fortunately, is going to have everybody in the office tested, so...

UTLEY: In another incident at "The New York Times," a suspicious package with a powdery white substance was received Friday by Judith Miller, who has reported on terrorist groups in the Arab world and their efforts to develop biochemical weapons. Her work has appeared in the newspaper, and in a new book on the subject.

What is known is that both envelopes being investigated came from the same place.

BARRY MAWN, FBI: Both the letters, the one to NBC as well as the one to "The New York Times," was postmarked from St. Petersburg, Florida...

UTLEY: The suspect mail has led to the closure of the mail rooms of other media companies, including CBS, ABC, and CNN.

And on "NBC Nightly News," Tom Brokaw reported the story, which had struck so close to home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "NBC NIGHTLY NEWS")

TOM BROKAW, NBC ANCHOR: This is so unfair and so outrageous and so maddening, it's beyond my ability to express it in socially acceptable terms. So we'll just reserve our thoughts and our prayers for our friend and her family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

UTLEY: Garrick Utley, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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