Schröder Casts 'Bild Zeitung' Aside

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has called off his media relationship with the nation's mass circulation Bild newspaper. In an interview with public broadcaster ARD, government spokesman Bela Anda said the Chancellor would not be giving the paper any more interviews because of the way it portrays him and his politics. Anda sharply criticized the paper's reporting style, calling it "a mixture of malice, agitation and contempt for the politicians, garnished with half-truths." He added that there was not even the faintest chance of fair or adequate reporting, either on the politicians themselves or the reform process. The government spokesman said it had not yet been decided whether Bild Zeitung reporters would be allowed to accompany the chancellor on foreign trips.