Dan Gross: Dan Rather here for panel

VETERAN NEWSMAN

Dan Rather

took part in a panel discussion yesterday on media coverage of crime and its impact on the community, in the Independent Film Channel's Media Project panel at the Independence Visitor Center.

The event featured District Attorney Lynne Abraham, NBC 10 news director Chris Blackman, Inquirer editor Bill Marimow and Radio One executive and 107.9 WRNB host E. Steven Collins. Renee Hobbs, founder of Temple's Media Education Lab, moderated the forum, which featured remarks from U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and IFC Marketing VP Kent Rees. IFC's Media Project airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays.

Collins said he didn't like the "Black man did it syndrome" of TV news and said it makes people more fearful than they need to be. Abraham joked that the lead story on TV news last night would be snow, whether there was any or not, which got a laugh from NBC 10 reporter Justin Pizzi, who knew that as early as 3 this morning he'd be standing outside reporting on the snow conditions.

Abraham said groups like Mothers In Charge, made up of local women who have lost children to violence, should get more television coverage. Blackman said that his station this year aired four hour-long specials "Making a Safer City," which featured Mothers In Charge. Rather argued that the first objective of media should be to cover the "crimes in high places" and "cover-ups," and that media had to inform the public about its elected officials.

Out and about

* Flyers forward Scottie Upshall was in-

itially denied entrance to the Balcony Bar at the Trocadero (1003 Arch) at Monday night's Bon Iver concert because he had only Canadian ID. A fan came over to Upshall, shook his hand and wished him luck for the season. Upshall asked the fan to vouch that he is 25, but to no avail. Eventually another Troc guard recognized Upshall and allowed him and his friend, also of age, to go upstairs.

* Rapper Beanie Sigel wore a white No.

99 jersey at Monday night's game honoring late Eagles lineman Jerome Brown. Sigel sipped a few beers he picked up in the 100-level concourse.

Speaking of hip-hop . . .

The Tuff Crew's DJ Too Tuff hosts hip-hop quizzo at Bar Noir (18th & Sansom) at 8 tonight.

Canseco has his pick of babes

Bad boy of baseball Jose Canseco hosts a contest for a round-card girl at 10 Friday night at W.C. Murphy's (1254 West Chester Pike) in Havertown. The winning hottie receives $1,000 and the job of holding aloft each round card at the Jan. 24 bout between Canseco and 94 WYSP's Danny Bonaduce at the Ice Works Skating Complex (3100 W. Dutton Mill) in Aston. Canseco will square off against Bonaduce at 1 p.m. this Friday in an open-to-the-public press conference at Anthony's Ristorante (4990 State) in Drexel Hill. At 8:30 a.m. Friday Canseco will be a guest on the former "Partridge Family" actor's radio show. Also on promoter Damon Feldman's card for Jan. 24 is former wrestling superstar Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, who'll take on some dude from Delco named Tom Robinson.

For info, CelebrityBoxing.TV. *

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