Newsmen, papers gain headlines
The press—mirror of the public's many faces — stepped out from its frame this year to make news itself.
Newsmakers such as the New York Times reporter who revealed a Klansman's Jewish background and Dorothy Kilgallen, noted columnist, who died in November, had their stories jumped to the front page with their names in the stories and headlines instead of bylines.
Not only newswriters' names
made the headlines but also newspapers themselves. The New York Times made news from the fact that it was not producing news for about three weeks. As the Newspaper Guild went on strike, the main newspaper of the metropolitan area closed down. Baltimore suffered a similar blackout as its only two newspapers closed down from a strike.
Even when newspapers were being disseminated freely, news was not.
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Education gains federal aid in 1965
the biggest news in education for the year 1965 centered not around technological developments, but around the role and influence of the federal government in the field of education.
A major education act was passed by Congress which provided for federal student scholarships called "educational opportunity grants" for the first time.
In addition to federal scholarships, the act provided for guaranteed student loans, increased funds for college construction, a national teachers corps to supply instruction for poverty areas, and a teacher fellowship program. Congress authorized funds to all but two programs: the teacher corps and a program to strengthen "developing institutions."
ANOTHER FEDERAL PROGRAM, Project Head Start, will send 12,000 teachers and other college graduates as well as 50.-000 volunteers to carry out a summer program to prepare 300.-000 deprived children for kindergarten or first grade. The program will give children in over 1,000 communities health, medical, and nutritional care as well as experiences in creative learning pattern and emotional development.
John W. Gardner was appointed the new Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. Before his selection Gardner served as chairman for the White House Conference on Education, as president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, and as chairman of the Presidential Task Force which helped to shape this year's education legislation.
The most prominent newsmakers in the education field were the students who participated in the Free Speech Movement and the teachers who discovered their own form of dissent: the teachin. These protests attempted to raise issues before the nation and the world which the teachers considered doubtful, especially the American position in Viet Nam, and to bring the expert opinions of the intellectual community on these issues to the public attention and consideration.
AT THE ANNUAL GOVERNORS Conference, representatives of most of the states agreed to form an interstate compact on education. Already accepted by 29 state governors, the national commission set up by this group will work to join the political and professorial forces into a partnership for education, to provide a clearing house for information on education problems and solutions, later to evaluate and investigate these problems to determine the needs of the states, regions, and nation, and establish priorities among the many proposals requiring public funds.
A Presidential Task Force was appointed by President Johnson to prepare legislation proposals for improvements on worldwide education. These proposals may include American aid to education in developing countries, incentives to encourage American colleges to expand courses on world problems, stimulation of
international student exchanges, and assistance to bring together scholars from many nations.
The 1965 White House Conference on Education, attended in July by about 700 leaders in education, business, labor and government, cleared the way for taking a new look at schools and schooling. It did not seek specific answers, but brought to the presidential and public eye questions about today's challenge in the field of education. Is it time for a national testing program? Can segregation be ended in the schools? How can state governments improve education? And is the movement towards preschool education helping?
A COLD FRONT settled this year between President Johnson and the press which brought much comment and many questions. Demanding more and more information, the press increased its pressure on Johnson. Yet the main news source in government affairs declared he would continue to decide when, where, and how often he would release news.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A National Academy to create a forum for educational inquiry and discussion was another development. Twenty-seven scholars established the academy which will eventually expand to include 50 elected scholars in four categories: history and philosophy of education; politics, economy, sociology, anthropology of education; psychology of education; and study of educational practices.
There was also a move across the country to submit endorsements of the anti-discriminatory clauses of the Civil Rights act which pertained to education and student treatment by university organizations and the administration.
Washington was not the only center of tight news sources. Saigon and the Dominican Republic were equally as hard if not harder to get good and accurate news coverage from. Officials criticized the public for being apathetic and uninformed — the public countered with the question: "How can we be informed if our news is not complete?"
Self-imposed censorship, especially in troubled areas, was a heated topic of debate within the ranks of the newspapers themselves. It was finally agreed not to disclose the number of American casualties in the Viet Nam war immediately, in order to keep such information from the enemy.
BUT NEWSMEN ALSO got their breaks. The United States Supreme Court made court reporting much easier with its announcement to hand down decisions on any day of the week instead of just Monday. In the past, some Mondays were so hectic trying to gather information
to cover major court decisions that the stories were incomplete. Now with four extra days to cover such news the reporters will have more time to inform the public.
Mergers of newspapers across the nation continued as in years past, and a number of weeklies grew in strength under new management. With the decline in daily papers, the editor who is the biggest success is the successful businessman.
Along with the growth of newspapers and news events, entertainment features are trying to keep pace. The popularity of comic strips such as Peanuts is increasing as the little characters show wisdom beyond their years.
With all the changes taking place in today's press, newsmen are still not satisfied. This year, much criticism has been levied against the newspaper for being "fat and fuzzy." The critics demand more depth and interpretation in the stories in order to keep up with an audience which is better educated. Most of the critics are newsmen themselves.
Copy will be manipulated electronically and the editor's desk will look more like an airplane control panel. Computers and tapes soon will revolutionize newspaper production.
YET NEWSPAPERS are not standing still. New technology is constantly being studied and incorporated into today's newspapers. These new ideas not only will speed up production but will be more economical and provide newsmen and editors with more time to be creative.
In the magazine field, one of this year's developments is the interest in Jackie Kennedy by the movie magazine publishers. Suddenly Jackie's picture is splashed on the front of six magazines and hints of new romances are spotlighted in the headlines. When the reader turns to the story, however, nothing is developed.
Cosmopolitan magazine changed editorial hands and now Helen Gualey Brown, author of "Sex and the Single Girl," is directing the staff which criticized her writings earlier in the year.
The most interesting development of the press this year is the re-evaluation it is making about itself and how it is trying to keep pace with the modern world it is constantly reflecting.
Daily Kansan 3
Thursday, December 16, 1965
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