REPORTERS ON THE JOB..

PRESS CREDENTIALS ON TRIAL: One of the questions raised by prosecutors in the trial of American Lori Berenson was: Was she really a journalist? Ms. Berenson faces charges of collaborating with terrorists in 1995 (page 7). At the time, Berenson had official press credentials but hadn't published anything and had never studied journalism. The prosecution argued that meant that she wasn't a real journalist. Reporter Rachel Hays, covering the trial at the Lima prison courtroom, suddenly found herself squirming just a bit. "Lori Berenson countered that you don't need to have a degree in journalism. If you can write and analyze, you can be a journalist. 'Ask any of them out there,' she said, pointing to the gaggle of media," says Rachel. No one asked, but Rachel wouldn't have been a very good witness for the prosecution. "I studied English literature and got a masters in Latin American studies. But I never went to journalism school either," she says. Adding, "But unlike Lori Berenson, I have been published." And at last check, Rachel wasn't living with any known terrorists.

ANTI-AMERICANISM IN THE AIR: Reporter Fred Weir has been living in Russia since before the demise of the Soviet Union. He's seen growing anti-American sentiment among his friends in the past two years (Page 1).

"The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was a watershed event for many. In the late '80s, many of my Russian friends were pro-American and talking about emigrating. There was a lot of euphoria and (unrealistic) hope that American money would make Russia bloom. Now, there's the inevitable disillusionment. And a growing fear about US intentions toward Russia. Some of my friends sound like the Soviet propagandists of old," says Fred.

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