CHEF IN BRITAIN WINS LIBEL JUDGMENT AGAINST THE TIMES

LONDON, April 5 - A well-known London chef was awarded libel damages today
against The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune for an
article stating that he had taken drugs. The chef, Marco Pierre White, told
jurors that he "very rarely" drank and had "never taken drugs in my life."

An article in The Times in May 1998, later reprinted in The Herald Tribune,
described Mr. White's climb to success. It said that in the past he had "a
well-publicized bout with drugs and alcohol." In an editors' note later
that year, The Times said the statement was based largely on Mr. White's
autobiographical cookbook, "White Heat." In fairness, Mr. White should have
been asked to comment on the statement, The Times's note said, adding that
Mr. White had said that there was no truth to it.

Mr. White was awarded $24,000 from The Times and $96,000 from The Herald
Tribune. The newspapers were also ordered to pay Mr. White's legal costs,
which are estimated to be about $768,000.

A spokeswoman for The Times, Lisa Carparelli, said: "While we respect the
British legal system, as an American news organization we operate with an
eye to U.S. libel law. In this country, a report based on a good-faith
misunderstanding of Mr. White's own ambiguous statement, as was the case
here, could not be the basis for a successful libel suit. We issued an
editors' note to clarify the situation and are disappointed that the matter
did not end there."

Mr. White, now 38, was the youngest chef ever awarded three stars in the
Michelin guide. His London restaurants include the Oak Room, Mirabelle and
Titanic.

The Herald Tribune, which is based in Paris, is owned jointly by The New
York Times Company and the Washington Post Company.