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In Afghanistan, a Daring Talent Raid
By Lisa de Moraes
Tuesday, October 2, 2001; Page C07
CNN may have won the flag war against Fox News Channel, but it just lost a major battle in the still-raging talent war.
Steve Harrigan, CNN's main correspondent in Afghanistan, became Steve Harrigan, Fox News Channel's main correspondent in Afghanistan this weekend, after FNC signed him to a contract, ambushing the AOL Time Warner-owned cable news network.
The 10-year CNN vet started delivering reports via videophone on FNC Sunday morning.
Harrigan's pact with CNN expired way back in May.
It's never a good idea to let a correspondent go into a war zone without a contract if your chief rival doesn't have anyone there.
Last month, you'll recall, CNN nabbed Fox News Channel anchor Paula Zahn to headline a morning program it's developing to debut in the spring.
FNC boss Roger Ailes responded by sacking her immediately and his operation slapped her agent, Richard Liebner, with a breach of contract suit. CNN in turn plunked Zahn on the air Sept. 11, months ahead of plan.
CNN put on a brave face yesterday; a rep noted that the network had 75 people in the area and had 10 people inside Afghanistan when Harrigan defected on Saturday.
But, as Ailes put it to the Associated Press yesterday, "At the moment, I'd rather have a man in Afghanistan than a $2 million anchor in New York."
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