books Fara Hailey delivers with The Evening News rthur Hailey is under attack again. The writer, dodging con- tinuously from city to city under the cunning guise of a touring author, has doubt- less offended some powerful interests indeed with his tai- est novel. The Evening News (Double- day/Stanton & MacDougall; 564 pp.; $27.95) is exactly whai Hailey fans expect: a fact-packed, thrill- filled story which, in this case, takes on terrorism, corporate per- fidy and the sometimes nasty business of network news. This time Hailey escorts readers book review behind the scenes for a frank and not always flattering examination of the men, women, budgets and corporate policies that determine not only how news is gathered, moulded and reported but the definition of news itself according to the ethics-deficient dictates of Big Business. In The Evening News, CBA Television’s anchorman, Crawford Sloane, is the target of a kidnapp- ing by Columbian terrorists in the pay of a Peruvian guerrilla group, Sendero Luminoso: the Shining Path. Sloane’s family is brutally ab- ducted and spirited out of the U.S. as part of a Sendero Luminoso ploy to force CBA to acquiesce to its demands for dissemination of its propaganda. While this may sound straightforward, it’s anything but. There’s a personality battle under way between CBA anchorman, Crawford Sloane, and executive producer Chuck Insen over news reporting and content. Sloane's grip on tenure may not be all that tenacious because Insen is plotting to replace him with star cor- respondent Harry Partridge. a Ca- nadian who was once Sloane's wife’s lover. Then there is Glokanic, a business giant that has recently acquired CBA. Stithering through the corporate corridors of this soulless profit machine are the cold-blooded characters who have willingly traded morality in ex- change for access to the per- quisite-laden rungs of the execu- tive ladder. These iron heels now tule CBA and threaten to subvert what network stalwarts regard as the sanctity of a iree press. In short, The Evening News operates on several different levels as numerous personalities and parties vie for the supremacy of their own private ayendas, Hailey’s among the:n. While his primary target this time is the threat posed to freedom of the press by growing corporate control of news organizations this isn’t the only theme Hailey works. CAN'T WALK AWAY FROM nvancouven 9881990 He also takes aim at the Catholic Church for its praise of key figures in the infamous, Columbian-based Medellin drug cartel, the humble roles assumed by the current pope «like the trained actor he had once been,’’ and what he sees as the responsibility the Church must accept for perpetuating Latin American poverty through its in- Author gets to terrorism’s heart ARTHUR HAILEY is arguably one of the most familiar literary figures of modern times. Author of 12 novels, including Hotel (1965), Airport (1968), and Wheels (1971), his books are available in 35 languages worldwide. His newest title, The Evening News, involved, as do all of his books, an extensive and gruelling period of research. Included in this were an anti-terrorist course (with simulated hostage seizures, unarmed combat and the use of sub-machine guns) conducted in Britain and lengthy visits to the U.S., Europe, Colombia and Peru. In a recent conversation with book reviewer Mike Steele, Hailey discussed the danger and poverty of life in Peru that he witnessed during his stay in that strife-torn, South American country. ee @ “Quite early on, | decided that one ingredient | wanted was ter- rorism ... and | took the advice of :a young television producer | knew in New York and he said, ‘Peru; Sendero Luminoso’ (the guerrilla group Shining Path).”’ tiailey and the producer (nameless, as are all of Hailey’s sources) therefore went to Peru together with the latter acting as both expert guide and translator. One area they wanted to visit was reputed to be a Sendero stronghold. “The government said no, we could not go there because, just a few weeks before; they had three journalists killed and they didn’t want a repetition. | didn’t argue. “was careful. For example, in Lima: ... Sendero was very active indeed. There were 4 lot of bomb- ings; a bus was blown up and seven people were killed and, in the Lima area last year, Sendero blew up 335 electric towers and some water supply mains. “They also contro! almost all of the Hullaga Valley where 60 per cent of the world’s coca crop is <2 Raffle Gallingwood School Gauntry Fair Saturday, April 28, 1990 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Country Kitchen ¢: Baking ¥: Tea Room * .:: Food Fair-International ¥: Burgers ‘n Dogs *: Treasure Chest +: Bottle Stall +: Corner Store < Silent Auction -: New To You “: Garden Shop & Bedding Plants ve Midway for Children 2 “: Fun Galore p & Much Much More! SEE MATT ON RIGHT FOR COLEINGINOOD SCHOOL TU MORVEN DRIVE WEST VANCOUVER 925-3331 > Pas Arthur Hailey ...drug war being lost. grown, controlling or employing some 20,000 campesinos (poor farm workers) ... and Sendero works with the traffickers from Colombia. The U.S. State Depart- ment said ... that in Peru last year the coca crop increased by 25 per cent; not only is the drug war not being won, it’s being lost. “People asked me, ‘Did you interview Sendero?’ and the an- swer is very simple: you do not in- terview Sendero and come back alive. “Even in Lima, if you're smart, you do not go down into your hotel lobby and just take a cab. You order a car from an agency you know. It doesn’t get in the Western press but there are a lot of kidnappings. Sendero employs criminals to do their work for them and they also have arrangements with the (drug) cartels. “The country is in a state of seige. It’s an absolutely insoluable situation. The inflation rate last year was 2,700 per cent. “The poverty is absolutely ap- palling. | saw some pretty awful Parts: it's grim and they're breeding like flies ... I've been in Brazil and | think Peru is far worse. “don’t know how long it will last; | don’t know if it can.” —— wr 25 - Wednesday, April 25, 1990 - North Shore News sistence on banning birth control. His descriptions of the Medellin drug thugs and their unholy alli- ance with the tarnished revolu- tionaries of Sendero Luminoso would place his life at extreme risk in both Colombia and Fferu. held personal views thinly disguis- The Evening News will disap- ed as those of his literary charac- point no one. Hardcore Haileyites ters. will enjoy the by now familiar formula of fact blended with fic- tion while critics will once again descry the elements they so in- tensely deplore: lengthy technical explanations and Hailey’s strongly The North Shore Arts Commission Invites you to participate in a FREE Public Forum STATE OF THE ARTS The Honourable Lyall Hanson, Minister of Municipal Affairs & Culture will be in attendance. Speakers: Max Wyman, Wendy Newman & Judy Dennis Performances: Pro Nova String Quartet, Theatre Sports & Video Bar-B-Q. STATE OF THE ARTS - A Forum - Capilano College, South Cafeteria Thursday April 26, 1990, 7:00 p.m. Reception and Dance to follow No-Host Bar For more information: North Shore Arts Commission 980-3559 xy SS = = LIMITED TIME OFFER! Albee’s proudly presents... 8 85 The BERNINA DESIGNER 1000 for onty $99 « Swiss Quality - Beit Driven - Rotary Hook + REAL VALUE ALL BERNINA SEWING MACHINES ANG SERGERS ARE ON SALE NOW THROUGH APRIL 30, 1990 AT 986-1 Westview Centre, North Vancouver, B.C. V7N 3X4 Open Daily $:30 - 6:00 Sunday 12:00 - 5:00