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The Orlando Sentinel April 24, 2000

DiCaprio Eclipses Walters for ABC - Hal Boedeker - Television Columnist

Leonardo DiCaprio's earnest foray into TV journalism Saturday night as host of an Earth Day special hardly justified the widespread criticism of ABC News for blurring the line between entertainment and news. Far worse on that count was ABC News' absurd use of 20/20 last week to detail the feud between former Supremes Diana Ross and Mary Wilson. On Thursday, Wilson complained about the money offered her for a Supremes reunion tour and accused Ross of stealing the spotlight - hardly a scoop. On Friday, a teary Ross told Barbara Walters that Wilson was bitter and had been unreasonable on the deal. That inquiring mind Walters also wanted to know whether the diva's flowing locks were her own hair. Yes, with additions, Ross replied. At least DiCaprio, who had a nicer haircut, offered some substance in his show. True, its MTV-flashy photography and fast-paced editing could induce dizziness. But there were segments on thawing Alaska, declining coral reefs and growing Atlanta. DiCaprio mainly introduced segments while Elizabeth Vargas and Chris Cuomo handled the news.

DiCaprio's interview with President Clinton had spurred controversy inside and outside ABC News, but the segment lasted roughly 2-1/2 minutes. The Titanic star noted he was "neither a politician nor a journalist" but "a concerned citizen." He moved Clinton to say global warming was "one of the two or three major issues facing the world over the next 30 years." This matters more than whether a star-struck Walters could mediate a truce between Wilson and Ross, who, by the way, likes to be called a diva.

The flap over DiCaprio's Planet Earth 2000 special was an example of bad public relations overwhelming the program before it could air. ABC News President David Westin hurt the show with his lame explanations about DiCaprio's role. You could argue that it was wrong for ABC News to give an advocate - DiCaprio is the Earth Day 2000 chair - a role on the special. Yet the results didn't merit a crises about declining standards and eroding credibility at ABC News. No, if the folks at ABC News are concerned on those points, they should be asking why Walters clowns on THE VIEW or Diane Sawyer fawns tirelessly on Good Morning America whether the subject is Paul Newman or Elian Gonzales. DiCaprio's show was overshadowed Saturday by the heavy coverage of Elian's reunion with his father. On Sunday, the Elian story intensified as a public-relations battle, with the meaning of photographs taking prominence and the Miami relatives suffering a setback when the distraught cousin Marisleysis Gonzales received airtime. Like the Elian saga, the Leo episode is a cautionary tale: Public relations shouldn't be confused with the news. Even so, inquiring minds can rest easy. DiCaprio doesn't comport himself like a diva.