Washington Reporter Wood ruff Says Coverage is Shallow

Veteran White house correspondence Judy Wood ruff spoke out last night at the Institute of polities against what she described as aback of depth in media coverage of national stories.

Woodruff,who came to Washington with President Carter's election 1977,recently became the Washington anchor for NBC's Today show.

Addressing about 130 spectators in a Kennedy School Classroom, Wood ruff emphasized television's enlarged role in the national media. "We're in a different era for television now, it has become predominant national media coverage". she said, adding that "the Whole White House press schedule is geared to television."

But Wood ruff said," the average length of a story on the Today show is only one minute and ten seconds, and on the evening news shows it's only one and a half minute. "adding,' It's very difficult boil a story down to that amount of time. What we really need is more reporting on back ground issues show the stories, like how policies are carried out."

Woodruff said she supports extending the network's evening news programs to one hour, but doubts it woodwork.

Woodruff said the Reagan White House is extremely difficult to cover. "Ronald Reagan is presiding over the most closed administration since that of Nizon, "she said ,nothing the sharp contrast to Carter's "extremely open "administration.

Woodruff also said that Reagan's increased personal isolation following the association attempt last year, has hampered journalist.

"We used to be able to have fairly lengthy exchanges with him when he came in and out of places, now we're kept back a good twenty feet. "She said, adding that the only real contact reporters have with the president is at his infrequent press conferences.

This isolation has led to the increased "adversary relationship "between the president and the press, she added.

Woodruff will speak this afternoon at Radcliffe's Cronkhite Center on "Women in Journalism. "In response to a question, she said women have "come a long way but not far enough "in the intensely competitive world of television journalism.