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April 12, 2000..NY Daily News:

ABC Will Air Leo's Clinton Interview April 22

After a week of hand-wringing, ABC News yesterday said it will air Leonardo DiCaprio's chat with President Clinton. However, according to a source, it's possible that as little as a minute of DiCaprio's 15-minute interview with Clinton will make it onto the small screen.

The network officially announced yesterday that its Earth Day special will be broadcast April 22 at 8 p.m.

Exactly how much of the DiCaprio-Clinton interview will make it on the air is still under discussion.

"He's in it," an ABC News spokeswoman said, adding that she wasn't in a position to say how much of DiCaprio will make the show.

"It's definitely not done," a source said of the special. "I think there's a lot of extra sensitivity and extra issues put into this."

Having DiCaprio talk to the President under ABC News' auspices launched a firestorm of controversy inside and outside the network. Old-liners felt it was wrong to have a celebrity talk to the President under the ABC News banner.

"I think they had to stick to their guns," said Andrew Tyndall, publisher of the Tyndall Report, a newsletter that tracks news coverage. "If they would have backed down, there would have been no confidence in their judgment."

Such ABC News stars as Sam Donaldson, Peter Jennings and Ted Koppel reportedly were upset by the DiCaprio interview. Koppel declined to comment.

"At this time, Sam has no comment," said Donaldson's assistant.

Besides talking with the President, DiCaprio will appear in a variety of segments talking about environmental issues. The actor is the celebrity chairman of Earth Day.