WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS TV DRUG MESSAGE

WASHINGTON--The White House today denied trying to rob TV networks of
creative freedom by having President Clinton's drug policy adviser
consult with them on scripts and offer financial credits for anti-drug
messages in prime-time shows.

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said the president's Office of
National Drug Control Policy was using "a very important and
innovative" program of advertising and partnerships to help reduce the
demand for drugs, and anti-drug messages being incorporated into TV
scripts were a positive result of that. "There's no element of trying
to dictate or infringe on any creative process," Lockhart said. "We
just think it's important to get the anti-drug message out in as many
ways as we can."

He said the program is important to Clinton, who called on Hollywood
executives last year to limit violent and inappropriate images in
films in the wake of the mass shootings at Columbine High School.

"We'd like all elements of popular culture to join the effort to send
a strong message about the dangers of drugs, especially to our
children," Lockhart said.

Broadcast networks' consultations with the drug office, on such shows
as NBC's top-rated "ER," Fox's "Beverly Hills 90210" and CBS's
"Chicago Hope," raised questions about their independence, but
representatives of ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the WB insisted Thursday
that they still call the shots.

"At no time has the Office of National Drug Control Policy either
sought or been granted creative control over Fox program content,"
said Tom Tyre, a network spokesman.

The White House drug office said that it had reviewed the scripts of
two dozen programs over the past few years for anti-drug messages,
sometimes suggesting changes that were incorporated in the final
product. A separate arrangement worked out between the networks and
the government gave the companies a financial incentive for preaching
against drug use.

Congress in 1997 authorized an anti-drug TV campaign that advocates
hope will have $1 billion in spending over five years. The government
bought commercial time on the networks for their ads, and the networks
agreed to match that time.

With business recently booming for TV ad sales, the government set up
an arrangement where networks would get credit for anti-drug messages
incorporated in their shows. This freed up commercial time where the
networks would have had to run the government ads, letting the
broadcasters sell the time to other companies. The White House drug
office valued the programming messages it had approved at $22 million.

"I'm fairly amazed that there has been any concern expressed about
this," said Rich Hamilton, CEO of Zenith Media, an ad buying firm that
helped develop the idea as a go-between for the broadcasters and
government. Yet an expert on media ethics said it raises questions
about the motives of the entertainment industry.

"What it can do for the networks is make it seem that they are only
going to run those messages or shows that have prior government
approval," said Aly Colon, a professor at the Poynter Institute. "That
may not be reality, but at least it can become a perception."

The government made no suggestions on script changes when it reviewed
shows to see if they would get financial credit, said Alan Levitt,
director of the national youth media campaign at the drug office.

"All we said was, if you believe that a certain program that you
intend to broadcast delivers our message -essentially that drugs can
kill you -submit it to us for an evaluation and we may decide that we
can credit you for a pro bono match," Hamilton said.

Fox earned monetary credit for episodes of "Beverly Hills 90210" and
"America's Most Wanted." The WB network received credit for an episode
of "7th Heaven," a spokesman said.

The WB said that in an episode of the "Smart Guy" series, two
substance-abusing teen-agers were originally depicted as being
popular, but the script was changed after government review to show
them as "losers" hidden away in a utility room taking drugs.

Spokesman Brad Turell said it is common for the network to ask for
changes to a script before a show is aired. Just because the
government gave advice in this instance doesn't mean the network gave
up creative control, he said.

Producers and writers of "ER" have been in frequent contact with the
feds. One recent storyline about a youth coming into the emergency
room after having abused alcohol was likely included after the office
told producers that alcohol is the most frequently abused drug among
young people, said Donald Vereen, deputy director of the White House
drug policy office.

NBC has not accepted any financial credits for anti-drug messages and
has never "ceded content control of any of our programs," said Rosalyn
Weinman, executive vice president of broadcast content policy. ABC
spokeswoman Julie Hoover said the network submitted scripts to the
drug office, but received no financial credit because it had already
used enough free commercials. ABC does not plan to seek credit in the
future, Hoover said.