COLUMNIST QUESTIONS LACK OF COVERAGE OF HALBERSTAM REMARKS

          In Philadelphia, Mike Bruton writes on Heat announcer
     David Halberstam's comments on slaves making "good"
     basketball players and the fact the story did not receive
     any national TV sports coverage.  Bruton: "It bothers me
     that ESPN, in particular, didn't jump on this story. ...
     ESPN dropped the ball -- as did NBC, the network with the
     biggest piece of NBA action."  An ESPN spokesperson: "There
     was disagreement whether this was a national story or a
     local story."  NBC Sports VP Ed Markey: "This we can say for
     sure.  It is definitely a story, and it is a story with a
     lot of layers.  The question is how you report it
     correctly."  Bruton: "NBC didn't, correctly or otherwise. 
     All of this logic notwithstanding, the sound of silence
     still screams in my ears" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/25).