Statement Under Oath of Principal Executive Officer
    Regarding Facts and Circumstances Relating to Exchange Act Filings

I, Douglas H. McCorkindale, state and attest that:

   (1) to the best of my knowledge, based upon a review of the covered
   reports of Gannett Co., Inc. ("Gannett"), and, except as corrected or
   supplemented in a subsequent covered report:

        - no covered report contained an untrue statement of a material
        fact as of the end of the period covered by such report (or in
        the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials,
        as of the date on which it was filed); and

        - no covered report omitted to state a material fact necessary to
        make the statements in the covered report, in light of the
        circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of
        the end of the period covered by such report (or in the case of
        a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as of the
        date on which it was filed).

   (2) I have reviewed the contents of this statement with Gannett's
   audit committee.

   (3) In this statement under oath, each of the following, if filed on
   or before the date of this statement, is a "covered report":

        - Annual Report on Form 10-K of Gannett for the fiscal year ended
        December 30, 2001;

        - all reports on Form 10-Q, all reports on Form 8-K and all
        definitive proxy materials of Gannett filed with the Commission
        subsequent to the filing of the Form 10-K identified above; and

        - any amendments to any of the foregoing.


/s/Douglas H. McCorkindale
_________________________                       Subscribed and sworn to
Douglas H. McCorkindale                         before me this 7th day
Chairman, President                             of August, 2002
and Chief Executive Officer
Gannett Co., Inc.
August 7, 2002                                  /s/Karen R. Levy
                                                _________________________
                                                Notary Public
                                                My Commission Expires: 2-29-04