Today's Story Line:

The scale of destruction following the earthquake in El Salvador is now becoming clear. The tiny Central American nation was scarred by 185 landslides. Some 46,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. Tent cities are springing up to provide shelter and food. The search for the missing continues (this page).

India and Pakistan are inching toward peace talks over Kashmir. Three wars between the two nations in the past half century make trust-building a slow process (page 7).

David Clark Scott World editor

REPORTERS ON THE JOB..

IDEALS CHALLENGED: Most interviews are neat and tidy; interviewer and interviewee play their roles. But sometimes journalists find the tables turned and their own ideas challenged. Reporter Philip Smucker found himself in a discussion about free speech at the American University in Cairo.

The students didn't fight a ban on certain books, but did argue for the right of free speech as it applied to the campus dress code. Philip thought that their argument hypocritical. "But so was mine," says Philip. "They pointed out that free speech has limits in the US too, noting that we decide who can or cannot see X-rated movies. I left understanding that I was in no position to look down on their views."

MISSING in SALVADOR: The search for missing relatives continues in El Salvador, in the wake of Saturday's earthquake. One of the most difficult aspects of covering the story, says Catherine Elton, is witnessing the desperation among families waiting for news.

As remains were unearthed, people ran to try to identify lost loved ones. One man carefully scrutinized a ring. "It's pretty haunting to see how desperately people want information.

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Publishing Society