APME Attendance Not Affected By Sniper

By: Joe Strupp Fear of the Washington sniper has closed some area schools, but it hasn't affected attendance at the Associated Press Managing Editors annual conference in nearby Baltimore, officials said.

A special panel discussion on sniper coverage has been added to the convention lineup for Thursday morning, said APME President Caesar Andrews, Gannett News Service editor. The session will include editors from The Washington Post and The Sun of Baltimore, as well as Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan.

"There are clear media issues involved in this story from the criticism of the media in the eyes of Chief [Charles] Moose to questions about how far you do go with requesting information," Andrews said.

Andrews said the sniper story did not appear to impact attendance at the annual conference, which is being held within an hour's drive of the latest shooting. "It's affecting mood more than anything else," Andrews said.