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In the newsBy Times staff report
© St. Petersburg Times, Sorry, ABC news chief saysDavid Westin apologized Wednesday for telling a group of college students that as a journalist, he had no opinion on whether the Pentagon was a legitimate terrorist target. His statement at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism last week didn't attract attention until it was telecast Saturday night on C-SPAN. Asked whether he believed the Pentagon was a legitimate target Sept. 11, Westin said it was important for him and ABC journalists to not have an opinion on it. "Our job is to determine what is, not what ought to be, and when we get into the job of what ought to be, I think we're not doing a service to the American people," Westin, a lawyer, replied. In a statement Wednesday, Westin said he was trying to illustrate the principle that journalists should draw a firm line between what they know and their opinion. "Upon reflection, I realized that my answer did not address the specifics of September 11," he said. "Under any interpretation, the attack on the Pentagon was criminal and entirely without justification." Battista leaving CNNFriday is the last day for Bobbie Battista at CNN, where she hosts the daily talk show TalkBack Live. "I didn't want to make that mistake where I stayed too long," Battista, 49, said Wednesday. She has been a fixture at CNN for 20 years. . . . New York Post chairman Rupert Murdoch has apologized to CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour after Post columnist Andrea Peyser called Amanpour a "war slut." Amanpour confirmed to the New York Daily News that she wrote Murdoch to complain and Murdoch faxed her an apology. Bulletin: Cruise proposal reportedTom Cruise got on bended knee and asked girlfriend Penelope Cruz to marry him during a romantic dinner Monday night at the Beverly Hills home they share, London's Daily Star says. The newspaper quoted an "insider" as saying: "Not much was said. Penelope gushed "yes,' and that was it." Celebrity health roundupJohnny Cash was back in Nashville's Baptist Hospital for recurrence of bronchitis, which sent him to the hospital last month, spokeswoman Jessica Etz told Reuters. "He's doing well," she said. Cash, 69, was admitted Tuesday. He suffers from autonomic neuropathy, which makes him susceptible to pneumonia. . . . Merle Haggard is resting comfortably at his California home after chest pains sidelined him over the weekend, CMT.com said. Haggard suffered chest pains Friday night while in San Angelo, Texas, for a concert. His doctor advised him to cancel appearances Saturday and Sunday. Haggard is expected to resume touring Nov. 14 in Calgary, a spokeswoman said.
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