4
Friday, March 19, 1971
University Daily Kansan
KANSAN comment
The Press and the Raids
By WILLIAM O. SEYMOUR
Assistant Professor of Journalism
The entire question of the role of the press in the recent raids by Kansas Attorney General Vern Miller has been, and probably will be, discussed for a long time to come.
Many words have been written about the role of the press, including the recent editorial comment made by Terry Murphy which the University Daily Kansan reprinted from the Chanute Tribune.
Murphy sets out to attack, comment upon, or disclose the role of the press, but then overlooks the role of the reporter in the raids, and condemns the role of the photographers present. Both the photographers and the reporters are part of the press, but the photographers are of necessity the most obvious. All a reporter needs is his two eyes and a good memory to obtain a story, unobtrusively, while the photographer must use his cameras to present his impressions of what he sees. Why, then, did Murphy see fit to overlook in his comments, the fact that reporters were along on the raid?
I raised the question of the notification to the press in a letter to Attorney General Miller, and he responded, "I can honestly say that I contacted no news agencies. There were those news agencies such as Life Magazine, who called me every day to ascertain when I would move into Lawrence. After I had decided on a time and day, I told any newman that asked me. I did not lie to any of them, but I certainly did not call or invite them."
One of the problems of press coverage of any news event, especially for photographers who must be there to get the pictures, is public officials who will not comment, who work in secrecy and never tell the press anything, or overly lie to the press about their actions.
While I am not totally in agreement with the methods of our attorney general, I do think that his policy in answering specific questions about specific actions, should be shared by all public officials.
I was, however, dismayed at the actions of some photographers who were along on the raids.
The courts have held for many years that the public has a right to know, as well as a right of privacy, and that the right of privacy, and the right of private property must be respected by all people, including members of the press.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a ruling in Seymour v. the United States, declared, "Even were we to assume that first amendment protections from unreasonable restraints upon the dissemination of news information extend by implication to the gathering of such information as well, it still could not be successfully urged that the right to gather news is unconditional."
The Court cited a 1954 decision by the New York Appeals Court which said in part "... Can it be argued that there is some constitutional right for everybody not to be interfered with in finding out things about everybody else
. We think that this question of getting at what one wants to know, either to inform the public or to satisfy one's individual curiosity is a far cry from the type of freedom of expression, comment, criticism so fully protected by the first and fourteenth amendments to the Constitution."
One of the definitions of the role of the press is that the press is an extension of the public, realizing that the entire population of any area could not view first hand any event, and that the press
personnel then serve to inform the public of what occurred at the event.
If we can assume this to be one of the roles of the press, the, yes, the reporters and photographers did have a right to cover the raid, if they were aggressive enough to find out when the raids were to occur.
But, if we also assume that the rulings of the various courts are valid, does the press have unlimited rights of access to the areas involved?
The only answer can, of course, be no. As professional photographers we assume that we have no right to enter private property without permission, and that if that permission is denied, we have to obtain the necessary photographs, though usually not as exciting, from public property where the courts have held we have a right to be, unharmed.
The only answer can, of course, be no.
However, were I in their situation, I probably would have done the same thing, with, hopefully, a little more restraint.
I doubt if the photographers who were along on the Miller raids asked permission of the apartment owners to enter the apartments, for in most cases the permission would have been denied. Therefore, I feel that the photographers exceeded their limitations, not only in the legal sense, but in the ethical sense as well.
I was dismayed that several of the photographers who covered the raids passed photographs around to the gathered police officers outside the courthouse the next morning in an attempt to identify the people in the pictures and to ascertain if they had been, in fact, arrested for anything. In at least one instance the photographer received different names for the same person in one of the photographs, and no one was sure who the person was.
The courts have held that a person who is arrested and charged with a crime loses his right of privacy to some degree, but there have been numerous photographs published showing persons who were not arrested during the Miller raid.
Distasteful as the presence of a reporter or photographer may be to those who are being arrested, it has been my experience that this is usually a good insurance policy for the person being arrested. I am not saying that if the press had not been present during the Miller raids there would have been any actions taken outside the limits of the law, but I have talked to numerous persons accused of crimes who have said that they were glad to see press representatives present at the time of the arrests, as they felt this meant they would receive fair treatment.
Hopefully, the press present would not "overlook" any actions taken by the arresting officers which were beyond necessary procedure.
On the other side of the coin, it would be hoped also that the photographers, reporters, and editors of the various publications involved would run the pictures which told the story as it was rather than those which might tend to sensationalize the event or the people involved.
It seems to me that the entire question could be resolved to some degree by a highly trained, professional staff of reporters and photographers, something which the journalism schools have been trying to provide for some years. The professional newsman should know his law, his ethics, and then proceed to cover the events which unfold before him to the best of his ability.
LETTERS
I think Galen Bland provided in his article, "Talkin' Interstate 70 Blues." March 17th issue a beautiful and evocative portrait of the Blands and their chance last week to be off looking for America. We should all be
doing this more—even here in Lawrence and surrounding environs.
Mr. Bland's descriptions of St. Louis, East St. Louis, Wheeling, Omaha and Kansas in my memories, accurate. They are also pongant. However, I do play the game very well.
Johnson restaurant once in West Virginia, just beyond Wheeling. But indeed, for me, the wind will blow over the hill on the hill in Arlington.
John H. Morris Farmington, Ark. graduate student
FRAGGING Army slang for threatening the life of unpunished officers
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To the editor:
Dump Nixon Movement Begins
Bv GALEN BLAND
WASHINGTON—Paul N. McCloskey Jr. is an ex-Marine officer who defeated Shirley Temple Black in 1968 in a California primary election. McCloskey won his seat in Congress in the same election Nikon won the presidency.
While many Republicans are playing "pin the tail on the donkey," blaming the Democrats for the war and inflation, McCain has said the Democrats in fact, he has started a fledgling dump-Nixon movement.
"I do not advocate impeachment of the president, but the question is certainly one which justifies a national discussion and debate, if only to show that we are deeply of depth in deparity many of us feel over his recent moves without the consent of Congress." McClaskey
said in a Feb. 18 speech before the House of Representatives.
A recent article in Newsweek magazine nearly said McCloskey was the first president in the primaries. Being in Washington, I decided to find out what his views were.
"There are two ways to change the situation," he said. "The Congress council cut off funds for the campaign by sending Nixon at the polls in 1972."
McCloskey said he did not anticipate run for president. But, he said, he is looking for someone who will run against him. McCloskey and Mark Hatfield, senator from Oregon, Charles Percy, senator
from Illinois, Mac Mathias,
from senator from Maryland, John
Lindsey, mayor of New York
City, and James Gardner,
director of Common Cause, as
a judge, like to see run
above Nixon.
The next Republican candidate, McCloskey said, will have to appeal more to the younger voters than to the young people demanded was nonevasive answers and the next candidate must meet that
"It's too early for any of them to announce their candidacy, but when the time comes, I'm sure they will follow the line will step forward." he said.
McCloskey said the fall
"President Nixon is a great deal less than candid and completely 'political', 'This,' he hurt his image with students.
Mrs. Gandhi Seeks Change
UPI Analyst
Standing with palms together in greeting beneath the sumbol of her party, the tricolor flag with the cow and suckling calf, Mrs. Indira Gandhi told its poor, "I want to bring in社会制度. I do not want to come from anyone. I only want to give to those who have nothing."
By PHIL NEWSOM
India's poor believed her in the hand, placing it on the brain; power scarefully ever equalled even by her father, the late Jawaharlal Yadav.
To deal with India's huge and many-sided problems, Prime
Minister Gandhi now can do just about as she pleases, including visiting with others without help or advice from anyone outside her own new home.
Others besides the poor also believed her, and lined up solidly against her.
They were the industrialists aligned with the old Congress party. They broke in 1969, the right-wing, free-enterprise Awatantra party, the militant Jhang San Kang, the left-liberal Sangh para party, Supporting this four-party coalition were the former ruler powerful, whose annual
Letters Policy
Letters to the editor should be typewritten, double-spaced and should not exceed 500 words. All letters are sub-divided into sections according to space limitations and the editor's judgment. Students must provide their name, year in school and home town; facet and position; others must provide their name and address.
allowances Mrs. Gandhi has promised to cut off.
To the left her opposition in the Communist party, the most radical Communist Marxist party and the Praja Socialist party.
In all, nearly 2,800 candidates contested the 518 seats of India's crucial lower house.
Among them, only one real issue emerged—Mrs. Ghandi herself.
Throughout the campaign,
Mrs. Gandhi was vague about the
kind of socialism she intends to
give India.
Actually, in five years in office Mrs. Gandhi has carried out only one major Socialist move—in 1963 the largest private banks.
Previous party promises have included such reforms as stricter enforcement of land reform laws and a ceiling on urban property.
Other less palatable factors on the near horizon are rising tax rates and new taxes in the next budget—factors which may have influenced her decision to call for a delay before they were necessary.
With the landslide proportions of her victory only hours old, Mrs. Gandhi already was calling for a boycott of patience, saying that along with laws viewpoints also must change. She has reason for her demand.
campaign was a disgrace to the Republican party, especially posters that read, "A vote for Democrat is a vot for Anarchy." The negativity of Spiro Agnew's host suppression of the party, he said.
In India the difference between the "haves" and the "have-nots" becomes more visible as the gist of the story is that an underlying cause for the violent deaths of more than 200 persons in West Bengal in the last decade.
McCloskey disagrees with Winn-
because, it's "it my belief that Vietnam is one country, not two. It has been divided for our pur-
He said the Geneva accords specified that the division of Netam was temporary and that elections were to be held by 1856. If there had been elections, he could Chi Minh would have easily won.
McCloskey said it was time to realize that Communism was not the answer to America's communism in North Vietnam was far different from the brand of communism found elsewhere.
"If I were Vietnamese I would be just as happy under the North Vietnamese government as in Ky. Edors are frequently locked up for expressing their views, the man who ran second in the last election is in jail ... this is the government we support," he said.
McCloskey said students helped a great deal in both his election campaigns. Students, not only because of their husiasm and drive than older people and they are most susceptible to apathy others to go to the poll.
The problem now is, he said, that neither party has much to offer the other. And Young Republicans in California were laughed at and considered unacceptable.
"Students often turn people off by dressing them up in a dress, if they are respectful and reasonable in their approach they can communicate with older adults."
"Many students are outraged by the war they were armed for, who prove this. Breaks down the lines of communication and, hence, the war."
At this point a man dressed as Sawyer the Boxer came in the door and he resisted the Resp lost the train of thought and remembered he was late for an appointment. He scurried out the office and found a black dove on the wall of his office with a black dove in its center. "War—NOW," the poster said.
The Lighter Side
By DICK WEST
Lectern Loquacity
According to estimates published in the Wall Street Journal, the weekly average is 6,500 addresses compared to a mere 6,000 addresses 10 years ago. Current projections indicate that by 1980 the figures will nearly double the rate of 20,000 speeches per week.
Franklin Spielcult, director of a sociology firm, has been impressed by the underpresentation that platform volatility was leveling perhaps even declining heavily.
WASHINGTON (UI)-What surely must be the most important speech a far-fetched fair was the recent report that a number of speeches delivered each week in New York City has almost doubled in the past decade.
News of the big upsure in
thunderbust at the national
offices of the Planned Perforation
Society, private organization
that provides training to
them.
"This blows our whole anti-education program right out of the air," he said, relying primarily on educational campaigns to rally public opinion.
"Obviously, however, that
"At present, ecologists don't know for sure just what impact all of this hot air is having on the environment," Spicuillc admitted. "One long range effect is the melting of the polar icecan.
"There is no doubt, however, the exposure to too many speciestypes of heat, human body, causing, among other things, acute exasperation."
I said, "What bombast control measures is the Planned Peroration Society prepared to recommend?"
I said, "What do you regard as the main harm resulting from rampant speechifying?"
Griff & the Unicorn
"We intend to throw our support behind the controversial project to develop a contraversial boulder pit," Spelunti said. It describes a breakthrough may be near on a nail that suppresses gradilence for periods up to 24 hours if taken regularly.
approach isn't working and stronger action is needed."
"In preliminary tests, the pill even worked on U.S. senators and Women's Lib leaders.
"If these contraversity devices fail to halt the rising speech rate, we'll have to inform them to try jawboning against it."
By Sokoloff
"Copyright 1971. David Sokoloff.
Those Were the Days
50 Years Ago Todav—1921
Chancellor Lindley had succeeded in obtaining from the legislature an appropriation 50 per cent larger than any biennial appropriation ever granted to the school.
40 Years Ago Today—1931
The hospital was still unable to take care of
them. There were 26 registered patients
last night.
Raymond A. Schwegler J.A. B. $^{26}$ was, to receive the degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Minnesota tomorrow morning at the quarterly convocation.
The total registration of the University up to March 1 was 5,874.
20 Years Ago Today—1941
High School seniors who were to graduate this spring who were afraid of being drafted before they finished their college educations were happy with the news from Chancellor Malot that beginning in June of this year, summer sessions may be utilized and by special arrangement of schedule the A.B. or degree may be obtained in August of 1944.
KU Alumni began a drive for better grid teams.
Leland Stowe, famed foreign correspondent, was to speak at a Sigma Delta Chi dinner tonight. He was to speak at a conventure in Hoch Auditorium tomorrow night.