REPORTERS ON THE JOB

TAKEN FOR A RIDE:

The appointment of an Anglican archbishop, the Most Rev. Peter Hollingworth, as Australia's next governor-general (page 7) reminded reporter Andrew West of one of his more embarrassing moments of covering the clergyman. Andrew was attending a speech by Archbishop Hollingworth, honoring a former socialist prime minister, which Hollingworth gave 10 years ago, just after he became archbishop of Brisbane. At the end of the speech, Andrew kept him late asking questions. So he offered Hollingworth a lift back to the Sydney archbishop's mansion, where he was staying. Pressed for time, Andrew took a short cut, and a wrong turn, and ended up in the midst of the red-light district. The archbishop peered over the rim of his glasses and inquired: "Andrew, are you trying to show me something?" Red-faced with embarrassment, recalls Andrew, "I had an archbishop in the car bedecked in purple and wearing a pectoral cross, and we were in the heart of sin city."

The moral? Beware of journalists offering you a ride.

TRAVAILS OF MINERS:

Reporter Nicole Itano didn't visit an Anglo American mine for today's story (page 1). But she's been to other South African mines and seen first hand how AIDS can affect families. "When the sole breadwinner (usually the father) gets sick, you can have 12 people living on one grandmother's pension. Even if the breadwinner gets a lump-sum compensation payment, it often goes right into home improvements," says Nicole. "There's no tradition of saving or savings accounts. So, there will be families living in decent homes, but starving."

SURVEY SAYS... FEWER FACIALS:

Australians are skimping on facials, hair gel, and other cosmetic products since the introduction last July of a 10-percent tax. A survey by A.C. Neilson also said that sales of feminine hygiene products and disposable diapers have fallen sharply.

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