Poison Pen

How anthrax changed the way we open mail.

by Daryl Gale



All clear: Hazmat workers leave KWY studios Tuesday afternoon. They found no anthrax. photo: Daryl Gale

The feeling of uneasy dread that has surfaced in newsrooms all over the country in the wake of recent anthrax-laced letters sent to some media outlets has made its way to Philadelphia. Last week Daily News assistant city-desk editor Kurt Heine was tested for anthrax when he came down with the flu, and Tue., Oct. 16, hazardous-materials experts removed a suspicious letter from the desk of KYW TV-3 news reporter Colette Cassidy. Both cases turned out to be negative for anthrax, and both Heine and Cassidy are fine, but the threat, and the fear, are real.

For those in the media, nasty letters, hate mail and even death threats are an occupational hazard. But attitudes toward the loony letters have changed.

The Inquirer and Daily News issued a memo last Friday from the human resources department to its employees urging caution and alertness when handling mail and reminding the employees of the guidelines set out by the Postal Inspection Service regarding "suspicious" packages. In general, anything abnormal or out of the ordinary should be regarded as questionable and reported.

"You could feel some anxiety in the newsroom over the past week or so," says Daily News Editor Zack Stalberg, "but folks are getting more comfortable now. Like any other news organization, we’re quicker to be suspicious of our mail these days, but the company has done a lot of work with the mailroom personnel, and I’m confident things will get back to normal. Kurt is fine and came back to work today. He just had a flu bug."

Inquirer Editor Robert Rosenthal seconds that emotion, and adds that the only obvious change is that the person who opens the Letters to the Editor now wears gloves.

"It’s not what you’d call uptight," Rosenthal says, "just heightened awareness."

KYW’s Colette Cassidy, who had been hospitalized Monday for a pre-existing lung condition, was asked by her doctor if she’d received any unusual mail. She answered yes, and the doctor called the station, who in turn called the fire department and HAZMAT experts. KYW Communications Director Joanne Calabria says that the whole thing was just routine.

"Colette’s doctors were just being cautious in asking about any unusual mail she may have received recently," Calabria says. "And we were just following company policy and erring on the side of caution when we had the HAZMAT people remove the letter. We have no reason to believe it’s dangerous in any way. Last Friday, CBS closed its mailroom in New York after the anthrax letter was sent to [NBC’s] Tom Brokaw and asked its affiliates to do the same, so we closed our mailroom Friday, and Monday we instituted new screening procedures for incoming mail and trained our mailroom staff on what to look for. Of course we’re being cautious, but I wouldn’t say we were being paranoid."

Other local news managers say that they’re concentrating on reporting the news, not being the news. All they can do is take the necessary precautions and hope for the best.

"Without being too specific, we’ve taken what we feel are appropriate measures to ensure a safe workplace and minimize the risks associated with incoming mail," says Art Ellis, communications director for WHYY-TV. "It’s fair to say everyone here is feeling the same apprehension and uneasiness as the rest of the country, but we have a job to do."

Dave Davis, station manager of WPVI-TV Channel 6, says that the atmosphere in the newsroom is upbeat, and they’re just trying to stay focused on the job at hand.

"The mood here is good," Davis says. "We’re just going about the business of keeping our viewers informed. As far as our own procedures are concerned, we’ve been following the guidelines and have had meetings with the people who handle the mail here at the station. So far, so good."

Here at City Paper, where the most vicious, vitriolic hate mails are routinely posted on the newsroom bulletin board for our sick amusement, few of us seem worried about the possibility of anything more than our usual compliment of poison pen letters. Interim editor Howard Altman keeps a gas mask on his desk, but that’s been there for a couple of years.

"We’ve issued rubber gloves for handling mail to those who want to use them." Altman says, "We get strange mail all the time, but no strange substances or powders. We’re not scared, but we’re not stupid."