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I can't help comparing Martha Stewart's declarations of innocence to charges of obstruction of justice and securities fraud [BUSINESS, June 16] with the reports that she might have been willing to accept a plea bargain if she could be guaranteed no jail time. What was she going to plead guilty to if not a crime? This is not just public relations. Stocks rise and fall on Stewart's public utterances. Would her plea of guilty in return for no jail time have been a lie?
TONY ACCETTA
New York City

Requiem for a Pal

Thanks to Charles Krauthammer for his account of the death of his dog Chester [ESSAY, June 16]. He showed us why dogs truly are man's best friend. I had to put my 15-year-old Samoyed to sleep in May, while still reeling in anguish from the sudden loss of my father in February. Certainly, the grief for my father is much more extensive than for my four-legged best friend Sam, but Krauthammer's column allowed me to acknowledge the devastating loss of my dog as well. My heart grieves for the unconditional love I got from both.
NATASHA WIESCHENBERG
Bedminster, N.J.

Uprising in the Newsroom

The morale problems at the New York Times that began with the Jayson Blair affair [PRESS, June 16] are familiar to those who work at daily newspapers in an era of takeovers by large corporations. New management teams move in, and newsroom decisions are driven largely by a system that rewards those who embrace the corporate leadership. In too many cases, the changes result in a loss of newsroom morale and the departure of many journalists. That is a bad thing in itself, but a greater loss is the decreased coverage of events in the newspaper's community and the damage to democracy that comes when the public is not as fully informed as it could be.
BILL LOVING
Pocatello, Idaho

Corrections

"Nine Smashing Car Chases," the graphic that accompanied our report on car-thrill movies [SHOW BUSINESS, June 16], said the pursuit in The French Connection happened in the Bronx. It took place in Brooklyn.

Our numbers item on Pope John Paul II's far-flung travels [NOTEBOOK, June 16] said he had visited 179 countries. The correct figure is 129.