Freeze-Out; ESSAY
Date: 03 January 1974
By William Safire
William Safire
W Safire comment on Govt 'freeze-out' of certain reporters and newspapers from communicating with White House aides after critical or unfair article or commentary appeared in their paper; says although Govt practice is unfair and has only succeeded in making Nixon look ridiculous, media is guilty of similar action; notes incident in which CBS made its execs and newsmen unavailable to White House press aide A Snyder in retaliation of memo written by Snyder 2 yrs earlier in which he recommended that White House not make available to CBS group of people to talk about Nixon public relations operation and instead to meet CBS request by providing int with Herbert Klein
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Humor About Qaddafi Strains Libya-Italy Tie; 2 Humorists Wrote Article
Date: 04 January 1974
By PAUL HOFMANNSpecial to The New York Times
Arab Boycott Com reptdly has requested that Fiat Motor Co, which owns Italian newspaper in which unflattering article on Libyan Pres Muammar el-Qaddafi appeared, dismiss newspaper's managing editor and authors of article: episode is affecting Mideast interests of Fiat (S)
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Weather: Precipitation ending early today; cold tonight and tomorrow. Temp. range: today 27-36; Thursday 30.32. Additional details on Page 60.; Weather: Precipitation ending early today; cold tonight and tomorrow. Temp. range: today 27-36; Thursday 30.32. Additional details on Page 60. Limits on Trial Use
Date: 04 January 1974
Majority of news media orgns and HR Judiciary subcom have reached gen agreement on bill to protect newsmen against forced disclosure of confidential information; agreement is result of mos of discussions between subcom and reprs of media and clears way for attempt to move bill through Cong in coming session; subcom originally approved bill last June but chmn Robert W Kastenmeier delayed further action to seek support of media; Kastenmeier has said that he will try to move amended version of bill through Cong in coming yr; bill would provide that no newsman should be required to disclose confidential information or its source to Fed grand jury or in any pretrial proceeding; such disclosure in actual trial would only be required if party seeking information satisfied ct that information was indispensable to prosecution or defense of case could not be obtained from any other source, and that there was compelling public interest in disclosure; in addition to most major news media, participants in negotiations include NY Times, NBC, CBS, Newsweek, Scripps-Howard and Newspaper Guild (M)
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Til Lykke!
Date: 03 January 1974
Editorial on Denmark newspaper Berlingske Tidende on occasion of 225th anniv of its founding
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Poll Finds Public Support for Press as Adversary to Government; Too Much 'Wrong?' Assessment Difficult
Date: 04 January 1974
By MARTIN ARNOLD
Martin ARNOLD
Confidential Gallup poll indicates that public supports press's adversary role in dealing with Govt and that majority believe that Govt tries to keep too many secrets; repts that 62% of those questioned agreed that news reporters should be protected from being forced to disclose confidential sources--increase of 5% points over similar Gallup poll in Dec '72, before most of Watergate disclosures; notes that 40% of those questioned agreed with criticism that 'newspapers often make innocent persons look guilty before they appear in court,' and 37% more partly agreed; repts much of public agrees that newspapers devote too much space to what is wrong with Amer and not enough space to what is right; public for most part agrees that newspapers 'are not careful about getting their facts straight'; observers note that total poll results make it difficult to assess impact that Nixon Adm's attacks on press have had on public; poll indicates that public is nearly exactly split over whether newspapers do good job in presenting both sides of controversial issue; shows economically that outlook for newspapers is not bad; details (L)
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Paris Newsman Is Seized is Planner of Figaro Holdup
Date: 03 January 1974
French police on Jan 2 arrest Andre Beaujard, journalist on staff of newspaper Figaro, charging that he is mastermind of $75,000 holdup at newspaper's offices last wk in which passer-by was shot and killed (S)
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Watergate Linked to Sharp Rise in News Viewing; July Figures Climb Attacks in Capital
Date: 03 January 1974
By LES BROWN
Les BROWN
TV audience research experts pose possibility that Watergate revelations have been significant factor in sudden upturn in TV network news ratings during '73, after several yrs of steady decline in viewing levels; conclude that public appetite was whetted by Watergate and was further stimulated by crisis of Presidency that has grown out of scandals, including resignation of Vice Pres Agnew, outbreak of Middle East war and energy crisis; avg viewing for early evening newscasts increased approximately 5% above '72 levels for '73 overall, and sharp reversal of downtrend that had begun in '69 occurred during April-June qr, when Watergate scandal was raging and Sen Select Com hearings got under way; by end of 73 three news programs together were reaching estimated total of 43-million people an evening, compared with about 39.5-million for same Oct-Dec period in '72; audience gains accrued to all 3 networks, but NBC's Nightly News with John Chancellor appears to have benefited most, with Walter Cronkite newscast on CBS in 2d place; NBC research exec Sheldon Jacobs and vp of TV news Donald Meaney comment; network official says that decline in news audience occurred while members of Adm were attacking network journalism but that reversal of trend occurred when Adm's own credibility came under attack (L)
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NEWSPAPERS FACE BROADCAST FIGHT; Justice Department Seeks to Halt Their Licenses 'Considerations' Cited Cross-Ownership Issue
Date: 03 January 1974
Justice Dept on Jan 2 files petitions with FCC to force newspaper publishers in St Louis and Des Moines to give up their interests in local broadcast stations; opposes renewal of broadcast licenses held by publishers on ground that it 'would perpetuate high degree of concentration in dissemination of local news and ad'; petitions indicate that dept intends to oppose license renewals in other cities where competitive situation is similar; urge comm to deny applications for license renewals from Pulitzer Publishing Co of St Louis for KSD-TV and KSD-AM, Newhouse Broadcast Corp for KTVI-TV and Cowles Communications Inc of Des Moines for KRNT, KRNT-FM and KRNT-TV; breaking up of media monopolies had been under discussion at FCC for yrs, but it was believed to have evaporated as comm topic when Nicholas Johnson and H Rex Lee resigned in Dec (M)
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