mondcy, cctcher 11,1976
daily nchrccan
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Dire henojina ar oi
Daniel Schorr's right to have the house sub
committee report on the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) published will not be questioned
from these quarters. .
Numerous in-court and out-of-court tests have
concluded that there should be no government
restraint on the media. The House Ethics Com
mittee which investigated Schorr also nodded to
the first amendment when it decided to drop its
investigation of Schorr for printing the report.
The fact that the House voted to keep the
report on the CIA secret after the committee
which prepared it had voted to release it in no
way bound Schorr.
Since CBS was not willing to print the report,
Schorr was not unreasonable in taking it else
where for publication. Schorr told a press con
ference Sunday night, that he had a personal
responsibility to see that the American people
were informed of the report. He said there was
no reason that the report, prepared with one-half
million dollars of taxpayers money, should be
kept secret.
Obviously, he was right on that count. The
report was published eight months ago and
neither the CIA nor the American public have :
suffered dire consequences because of it. But
Schorr has.
His 23-year career as a journalist is all but over.
His method of putting the publication into
print is baffling and is the cause for his dismissal
from CBS.
Schorr's actions concerning the report con-
ors be
mm
tradicted his words too many times.
If Schorr was sure of his personal right, his
responsibility, to print the report, why did he
decide to leave his name off of it and why did
he not admit to having it published when first
questioned about it? He had done only his job.
Schorr told a news conference Sunday night
that a journalist's opinion is an essential part of
journalism-that interpretation of the news was
necessary, yet at the last minute Schorr decided
to omit his introductory explanation from the
report when it was published.
Schorr said Sunday his personal distaste for .
the Village Voice and concern for his source
kept him from putting his name on the report.
Even a journalists who has not been in the
business 23 years knows there is no legal way
Schorr could have been forced to reveal his
source. Besides, dozens of people at news
papers other than the Village Voice knew he was
connected with the report.
Schorr had never been shy before about having
his name connected with his scoops.
There are too many unanswered questions
surrounding Schorr's handling of the report
Just as Schorr admonished others not to cover
up their affairs, neither should he. His mishand
ling of the report, for whatever reasons, is un- -x
fortunate in that it prematurely ended the career
of a competent journalist. It is even more unfor
tunate because it has caused apprehension among
journalists to report leaked information and
among those who would leak that information.
Barbara Walter's debui:
s vive-miiiion-ooiiar women
By Nicholas Von Hoffmsn
The debut of Bubwa Watahs on the XYZ Netork'r
evening news as co-aachorwomaa is the biggest thing to
happen to broadcast journalism since Captain Kangaroo
had his 20th anniversary. Harvey GoMhrick, XYZ's board
chairman, said that Eubwa is his network's answer to the
Ths Six MiZwn DoEartesm - a five-mfEion-dolIar wenan.
"Just as XYZ has forged into the entertainment lead
by bringing the viewing audience the best in crime, so
we're sparing no expense to give TV viewers the finest and
most costly in journalism" GcMbrick said
Q a22C5J2CE2g
Bubwa's debut.
"But even as great a journalistic star as Bubwa Yatahs,
with her knowledge, her experience, her brilliant news
judgment isn't enough. You need depth to win in news,
so that Watahs is being hacked up by two chaffeurs, a hair
'stylist, Oxar de La Renta, a wardrobe seamstress, a
cordon bleu. French gourmet-type chf, three reporters
t read the teletype machines and two writers so Eubwa
wO always have something to say."
...... flaws reruns
; Eub wa's debut exceeded Gel-brick's best expectations.
It was so good that for ths tint time a telavisioa
Livery a network wO be Seeing its old news programs for
-afternoon reruns. : '; . " : ;
' -The deal on rerun syndksiica fea't set yet because-'
VJCitl is trying to buy the rlts to Iowa's shows so that
they can be edited for movie house distiihutica as a
sequel to-Thzt's ERUrtsSanenL Tentative title for this,
the rust Hick to premiere as a TV program and then be
made into a movie, is 7fc scws , -
Euhwa's casing week performance set an all-time
record for exclusive interviews, tombshells and scoops on
.consecutive non-weekend news days. Since the news ca
Eubwa's shows is copyrighted and intended schy for
hcme-"S2 and enjoyment, it may not be replayed,
reproduced or reprinted without the express permission
cf the Commissioner of Baseball and the mayor of the
city whsi the scoop took place. So we can enly gjve yea
ss&pets without having to pay royalties.
-XYZ does allow a synopsis and a few quotes for peo
ple who dsnt want to wait for the reruns, so here is the
juicy part of the opening night, exclusive Anwar Sadat
interview.
- Scoops mlaaled "
Cshwa: Anwah, I'm glad you're my first interwoo on
the first night of my big news show. This gray-haired man
sitting next to me is earned Hawse. He helps me, Anwah.
, AarwiK Delated to meet you, Hawk, and Eubwa,
my dear, everybody in Africa from Lesotho to Zimbabwe
" is delighted that you have got a show of your own. It
warms my heart and that of Madame Sadat who longs for
a show of her own also, almost as much as a new shipment
of the latest missies. . ' .
Esh'sra: Anwah, or ha. Jkft a I should call you
even thcgh you and I are on closer terms than my
colleague Howard Cosell and Muhammad A5, Mr.
FWesi'rr.t, do you have any news for us, something
weally fwesh and exciting which wO interest the people
back here? .
ssdewise
Aesse Yes, C'Jbwa, I do. rve saved a little
announce
meat just for your opening, debut program. I wanted it
to be a little something of ststasce so they couldn't call
ycaagccchimscalitiret. :
Cshwa: America has no better friend in your part cf
the world than you, Anxah. So what did you save for me,
kii? -
Assrsr: Fm tiifcg tiis occasion to announce that ia
five mirutes we're going to wax with fcrad again.
C-ira: Ilsie!!! Kd you hear that? 0l Anwah,how
can I evar thnk you?
And so a ssocp was born, but that first debut week
was stunning scoocp after stunrfsg scoop. The iaxt mht
the CMnese uxd Babwa's prcram to introduce Mao
Tse-tusg's successor, Chr'rrrn Too Dang Fat, who ached
if ths drciica ca Ksaa was find or did he stU have a
Reporting questioned
The power of the press is awesome. It can be wonder
ful. When abused, it can be more than terrible. I am dig
ressed to say that Mike Patten's article on Army ROTC
(Oct. 7 Daily Nebraskan) is sorry witness to the latter.
Ve are faced with an article so full of errors of fact as
to be nearly incredible. The story abounds with non
contextual statements, assumptions presented as fact,
misquotation, and is documented with the alleged
testimony of a small minority of the 91 cadets in the
program.
What is an error of fact? It is non-factual that students
highly motivated toward the Army leave the program
because of disenchantment. I have been associated with
the program for over two years and I know of none. I
request that Patten name one student who has left under
such circumstances. It is not true that students are
forced to wear uniforms to classes. Freshmen are exempt
from having to wear, the uniform and remaining students
are required to wear uniforms only during ROTC lab
periods. Facilities and time with which to change also are
available. It is also false that only scholarship students
must comply with the hair code. All advance-course
cadets must get hair cuts.
A fact out of context? Examine the circumstances
surrounding the volleyball game. Volleyball provides a
good source of physical training important to any ROTC
program, and is an invaluable aid in building cohesion and
teamwork among the classes. And then consider that the
game was held during a non-credit lab, not during an
academic class period.
What is assumption presented as fact? It is an
erroneous assumption that there is or has been a history
of dissatisfaction with the program an assumption made
less credible by the fact that the program is entirely
voluntary. Being a graduate of Army ROTC and having
maintained many friendships with the cadets, I can state
with assurance that dissatisfaction is not now in evidence
and certainly this would rule out, then, a growing dissatis
faction. Also, consider the source of the quotation in the
article. Rattner is only a two-month freshman initiate of
the program yet he feels able to make -an unqualified
statement of such import. . V
In this vein I shall not continue. I did not set out to
write in defense of ROTC. The issue is much more funda
mental. I am raising the question of our right to expect
responsible journalism from our student fee-supported
newspaper. We have here an example of investigative
reporting being done without the investigation.
I believe that we who pay for this newspaper have a
right to expect no less than the truth; no less than
accuracy in media, not just at a reporters convenience, but
all of the time.
Richard R. Caniglia
Objects to peZey
Dr. Kenneth Huhble's (Oct. 7 Daily
Nebraskan) to my letter about my son's accident is only
further evidence of an attitude that is completely
imcompatibie with the base medical creed of helping
' people.' I did not know tfsat coassea decency was subject
to official policy. My infant son was denied aa examina
tion so how can Hobble assert that ths emergency was not
bonafide?
Deerhlcyde
To Whom It May Concern:
Your bicycle has a habit of parking itself with the frost
wheel ta the rack. This nasty habit produces unwantsd
scratches and bruises to surrounding bikes and bikers
when it inevitably faSs down. Fbisi exphia to"ycur
machine it's easier and surprri-!y more cf Herat if yesr
oiic b paru wna me rear wLeti locked to ths tke ra
EasyRii
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