MURDOCH APOLOGIZES TO AMANPOUR FOR 'WAR SLUT' SLUR Tue Oct 30 2001 20:26:48 ET

Rupert Murdoch has personally apologized to CNN's Christiane Amanpour for a recent column written by NEW YORK POST columnist Andrea Peyser, the NEW YORK OBSERVER is planning to report on Wednesday.

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Peyser's Sept. 21 column referred to Amanpour as a "CNN war slut."

Not long afterward the column appeared, Amanpour expressed her feelings in a letter to Murdoch, the OBSERVER's Jason Gay reveals.

Murdoch then faxed Amanpour an apology.

"A source close to News Corp. said that in the letter, Murdoch expressed regret for Peyser's column, but noted that he does not control the writing of Post staffers," report Gay.

The letter also mentioned that Murdoch has been called worse things by CNN founder Ted Turner.

Reached overseas, Amanpour confirmed to The Observer that she had received Murdoch's apology:

"While I would not like to reveal details of my correspondence with Murdoch, I will say I was entirely satisfied with his reaction to the highly inappropriate, vulgar language used by Peyser to describe me."

Amanpour did note, however, that she found Murdoch's line about Turner to be "hilarious."

Developing...

-- Anonymous, October 30, 2001