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CNN Saturday Morning News

Reporter's Notebook: The Olympic Games

Aired February 09, 2002 - 09:41   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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the Winter Games in Salt Lake City. For our "Reporter's Notebook," we go to CNN's Carol Lin, who is standing by there in Salt Lake City. You were up late last night, Carol, up early on our behalf. Rough duty out there, isn't it?

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tell all my secrets, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Yes, yes. This is the assignment everybody wanted, Carol. We're not too jealous, OK? But anyway...

LIN: Well, come on out, and you can get...

O'BRIEN: All right.

LIN: ... up in the middle of the night too.

O'BRIEN: All right, yes, yes, actually wouldn't be so bad.

All right, let's get right to it. We have quite a few good e- mails, and hopefully we'll get some phone calls in a sec.

LIN: OK.

O'BRIEN: Let's go to the first e-mail. This comes from Danny. I don't know where Danny is. Presumably Danny knows where he is. "Since this is the first time, as I understand it, that an American president has opened the games, how much did this cost it? I look at it since we're sure to have the military there, the taxpayers are spending about $400 million as a way to further Bush's ratings at our expense."

Oh, come on, Danny, geez, that's rough, that's rough.

LIN: I think that was an editorial, not a question.

O'BRIEN: Well, this is part of our little segment here, Carol. Question is, though, the security is unprecedented. I think, what is it, $60 million, six-zero million, that they're spending just on security?

LIN: Oh, more than that, I mean, it's...

O'BRIEN: More than that? LIN: Yes, it's upwards of -- close to $400 million. Because they've got 16,000 security agents here now. That number kept creeping up. In fact, it jumped, like, 5,000 additional security agents just in the last 10 days. John Ashcroft, the attorney general, came out about a month a ago and saw some gaps in the security, which included Main Street in Park City, that they had figured out a way to secure the ski slopes, but nobody was really quite sure whether they had enough agents for Main Street in Park City. They're worried about more of the concentration in the urban areas.

But a lot of the money, Miles, is going to high-tech security. You know, they've got Black Hawk helicopters, the same helicopters used to fight drug lords in Mexico are flying overhead here. They've got hidden surveillance cameras, face-recognition technology that they're using at some of the security checkpoints. So that's where a lot of the expense is going.

O'BRIEN: All right, let's get a phone call in. And our favorite phone caller is with us, Joe McCutcheon from Ellijay, Georgia. Joe, good morning to you, sir.

CALLER: Miles, good morning to you. You do an incredible job.

Carol, my question for you, what do you think the impact of the Winter Olympic Games will be on world peace?

LIN: That's pretty deep. Joe, I think that one of the things that we've seen since September 11 is a far greater awareness, certainly by Americans, of what's going on beyond our own shores. In terms of impacting world peace, you know, I don't know how much the Winter Games can do, except to set the example. Last night we saw a very carefully orchestrated balance between honoring the victims of September 11, as well as being inclusive of other countries.

There was a huge debate that actually threatened to mar the opening ceremonies because there was so much -- so many complaints about whether that World Trade Center flag that was found in the rubble should even be brought into the opening ceremonies. So it was beginning to heat up, and at the very last minute, Olympic organizers stepped in and said, Wait a second, you know, this has become a universal symbol for many of the international victims. I think representatives from 60 to 80 different countries who also died at the World Trade Center.

So I think if anything, it's allowing people in a very public arena to come together, all the different athletes from all these different countries, and I think we will be watching these games through a different political and personal prism.

So if that can make a difference on an individual basis, just a greater understanding of other cultures and countries, then that perhaps can contribute to world peace.

O'BRIEN: Tough question, good answer, Carol Lin.

Let's go back to the e-mailbox, shall we? We have a pair of related e-mails. This one from Dick Price, "I watched the Olympic opening ceremony and enjoyed it. When it was finished, I tuned my dish to a West Coast NBC station which was showing the beginnings of the ceremony with a "Live" marker in the upper left corner of the screen."

Related question here, "Shame on NBC. Does NBC think their viewers will believe their "Live" icon? How insulting can you get? But in spite of NBC's corporate selfishness, in spite of Katie Couric's nonstop silly-speak, last night's opening ceremonies were fabulous. President Bush and the people of Utah made me proud to be an American." Linda Anderson in Kennesaw.

That "Live" bug, I caught that myself this morning, Carol. Now, this whole issue...

LIN: Yes, we saw it too.

O'BRIEN: ... of live coverage is kind of a bugaboo for the Olympics, because you'll recall last go-round we had a time shift, and nothing was live.

LIN: Yes, and that made it very difficult. It's going to be a little easier this time around. I can't answer for NBC, that is really bizarre, because usually even if you keep the "Live" bug up in the corner, somewhere else it might say, "Tape delayed." So I can't account for why they did that, or who -- you know, which station that they were airing.

But NBC paid an extraordinary amount of money, half a billion dollars, for the rights to these games. And Miles, we were just talking in the last hour about how bizarre the extension of those rights goes. I mean, apparently last night it went to -- they owned the skies. We could not videotape the fireworks display even from a distance, even if we were not standing on an Olympic venue, because that fireworks display was considered an Olympic event.

So for those few moments, another network, only one network, owned the rights to the skies and that image.

O'BRIEN: Yes, that kind of gets my First Amendment dander up. I mean, if you're on a public street and you see some fire -- Anyway, I -- let's not get into that.

LIN: No, but you know what, Miles? It is a little creepy when you think about it. I mean, can you buy rights to a news event? I mean, what happens if another Columbine happens and deals are quickly negotiated behind the scenes to sponsor an event, and perhaps some of that money might go to rebuilding a community? I mean, all -- it raises all sorts of questions.

O'BRIEN: That's -- yes, it's...

LIN: Of course, no sour grapes here.

O'BRIEN: Oh, no.

LIN: No sour grapes here.

O'BRIEN: Oh, no, not -- none of this...

LIN: We're going to have plenty of coverage of our own.

O'BRIEN: And I suppose they have mineral rights too. If they strike oil beneath the Olympic venues, they get that.

Anyway, all right, we're going to take a break, we'll be back with more questions, your e-mails and your telephone calls in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: "Reporter's Notebook," Part Deux, continues.

CNN's Carol Lin, Salt Lake City, looking excellent with her fur parka on there, I might say...

LIN: I don't even know if it's real, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well, it probably shouldn't be, you'll get it spray- painted or something by one of those protesters out there.

Let's go to a quick e-mail, Kevin Porter has this question for us. He's in Capitol Heights, Maryland. "How early do Olympic spectators have to be present in order to gain access to the different venues? What kinds of delays can they expect?

LIN: Good question. You know, if you've been to an international airport lately and you realize now you have to get there about two to three hours ahead of time, that's what the Olympic visitors are saying -- are being told by the organizers. Plan on getting to an event a couple of hours ahead of time, because you're going to have to go through these security checkpoints.

We actually got a tour of the Olympic command center where some 20 different federal security agencies are coordinating everything, and they've got, as I was mentioning before, they've got hidden cameras all over these Olympic venue sites. But a lot of these cameras are trained on the security checkpoints. And one of the things that organizers are really concerned about is how quickly they can move people through. They're checking everything. I mean, it really is a lot like going to the airport every time you go to a venue.

O'BRIEN: All right, let's take a phone call. Terry is on the line. She is in Mississippi this morning. Good morning, Terry.

CALLER: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Do you have a question?

CALLER: Yes, I wanted to ask Carol, with the games being held in Salt Lake City, how much is religion affecting the Olympics? And will the -- what will the view be of the Mormons after the Olympics? O'BRIEN: Good question, Terry.

LIN: Yes. Well, for people who don't know, 70 percent of Utah's population is Mormon. They're members -- they're called -- they call themselves the Latter-Day Saints. It's the Church of Jesus Christ, Latter-Day Saints. And the games -- that is a good question, because originally there was a lot of concern about whether the Mormon influence would have an influence on the games.

You saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir last night, which was wonderful to see as they sang "The Star-Spangled Banner." But very little influence. In fact, people who had attended the rehearsals for the opening ceremonies say that they were relieved. I mean, people who lived here, who are secular people, said they were really relieved to see that it was Native Americans, celebration of the Southwest.

They thought that the church, which has tremendous influence here in the state of Utah, would exert itself. They're natural proselytizers. Mormons typically after college will go on a two-year mission to try to spread their faith. It's just part of their culture.

But what we're seeing here is a real pull-back of that. I mean, they went to extraordinary lengths here to change the liquor laws, for example, or not so much change them but tweak them. They have quirky laws here. You can't actually drink hard liquor, get -- buy hard liquor in most public places, but they made an exception for the Olympic venues, so they're now saying -- and, in fact, they're bragging -- that they've got some 1,300 different places where you can buy beer and alcohol.

The big thing here is, even though it is the only church state in the United States, the legislature is dominated by members of the Mormon faith, that they see a tremendous opportunity to increase tourism. So they're trying to reimage the state. They're trying to convince people that a state where 70 percent of the people don't drink or smoke can, in fact, put on the world's biggest party.

So that's a challenge that they're trying to...

O'BRIEN: Undoubtedly there are a few members of that church a little upset with all that.

But let's move on, talk about something else. John in Atlanta has this for us. "What is your opinion on the eight personalities who carried in the Olympic flag? To my thinking, this was indeed something special. Where else could you gather such a diverse group of famous and meaningful heroes from all walks of life? Great job!"

LIN: Yes, and it was really nice that they made those distinctions as they -- as these people walked in. I mean, when you have, you know, a political figure and a human figure like Desmond Tutu, and then you have a great filmmaker like Steven Spielberg, and then you have Senator John Glenn, who at the age of 80 is, you know, Miles, covering space, all coming in together and holding that flag -- you know, Steven Spielberg had said that despite all of his accomplishments in his entire life, that this is one of the greatest honors that he had ever received.

It was really interesting, it was -- everything about that opening ceremony, Miles, don't you think, it made a statement about one thing or another. There was nothing gratuitous about it. It's as if the directors and the producers wanted to touch on every theme imaginable, every sort of facet of human emotion that might play out during these Winter Games.

O'BRIEN: Yes, it was a real spectacle. And, you know, once again, I go back to that cauldron lighting, that's such a tough act to follow, because of previous attempts. And I thought the hockey team was really the perfect choice.

Let's go back to the e-mail. This one comes from Kim Calloway. She's north of the border up in British Columbia. "Why, oh, why, does NBC's coverage so lopsidedly emphasize the U.S. Olympic story? Here in Canada, the CBC, at least, has the good grace to show all nations' teams entering the stadium and didn't cut away to commercials. Why do you think the U.S. coverage is so relentlessly USA?"

Well, one thing we should point out to you, Kim, is the CBC is -- enjoys a little bit of government funding, which helps pay the bills.

LIN: Right.

O'BRIEN: Now, but the issue does come up, and once again, we're sort of asking you to defend NBC...

LIN: Slam NBC?

O'BRIEN: ... accused of being -- they've been accused of being a bit jingoistic in the past, you know?

LIN: Well, you know what, you make the greatest distinction there, Miles. I mean, it is -- we don't have government-owned media, and you might say thank goodness for that, for our First Amendment rights. But at the same time, you know, it is about ratings. And NBC spent more than half a billion dollars for the rights to these games, and they fully expect, I imagine, as a commercial network owned by General Electric, that they want to make money.

And it has been proven, as we've seen at other cable networks, and we won't mention them, who play the patriot card. CNN has struggled with that as well, in terms of maintaining, you know, maintaining neutrality in our coverage of the war on terrorism, while at the same time acknowledging that this was a very unique situation for Americans.

So, you know, it's about ratings, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. The sad truth is uttered there by Carol Lin, but that's the way it works here in this business. Keeps the paychecks from bouncing, at least.

Carol Lin in Salt Lake City, you'll be with us all throughout the games. And why don't you drop by next weekend and we'll take on a few other issues, whatever's on your mind out there? And thank you, folks, for all your great questions and your phone calls and your e- mails. We appreciate you participating in the program with us.

Carol -- she's gone, but thanks for being with us.

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