OCR Text |
Show Page 4 Signpost Feb. 26, 1974 FRANKLY SPEAKING h Fhil Frcnk 7HS FIRST ROUE M HOPS 'Signpost' requests student opinion, input The Signpost has over the past year experienced difficulty in getting student opinion in its editorial pages. No letter which abided by the editorial policy has ever been withheld from publication. No student editorial which was printable has ever been turned down by the editors. Yet still the Signpost receives virtually no comment from outside the newspaper staff. In many publications the letters to the editor sections are used to debate issues back and forth among readers. In the Signpost the letters to the editor are used either to criticize or praise the Signpost. It seems that no worthwhile contributions on any other subject ever appear in letters. The Signpost continually urges everyone to write editorials or letters to express views, especially if those views 'are contrary to those usually purported by the paper. Still very little response. It is especially discouraging to read other newspapers where issues often draw much response. Students, faculty, staff and administrators: the Signpost does accept and does comment and opinions from outside the staff. It further urges persons with something to say to write and express themselves to the campus community. The Signpost can only serve as a vehicle for expressing student views, if the students provide input as to what those views are . IllIJpufP Published twice weekly by the Associated Students of Weber State College during fall, winter and spring quarters. Entered as second class mail at the Ogden, Utah Post Office. Mailing address: Weber State College, 3750 Harrison Blvd., Ogden, Utah 84-103. The opinions expressed on the editorial page of the SIGNPOST do not necessarily represent those of the studentbody or theadministration. Bonnie Cantwell Editor in-Chief Wil Grey Managing Editor Da e Jones Business Manager Da e IV'idget Wire and News Editor Ira D. Hatch News Editor Debra Malan Features Editor Fred Barta Photo Editor Randy Hollis Sports Editor Memberships: United Press International, Rocky Mountain Collegiate Press Association, Associated Collegiate Press, Associate Member Utah Press Association Incredible' bill threatens Idaho's freedom of press by Richard Charnoek United Press International Incredible. That's the only word to describe Senator Orval Snow's bill to require writer's initials or byline on newspaper editorials. All it lacks is a companion measure for a stamp aqt. In the first place, this measure is on mighty shakey constitutional grounds. It amounts to government interference with the press, and that smacks of a First Amendment violation. Secondly, its only goal can be harrassment. Some politicians don't like what newspapers say about them and want to call up the editorial writer and bawl him out. They can do that right now without having to pass a law. The publisher of the newspaper is responsible for what is printed in that paper. Those who put the paper together work for him. If a reader doesn't like the contents he can talk to the publisher or, for that matter, the editor. Political control But those aren't the only reasons why Snow's bill is incredible. If you believe the government should run the news media, this bill is a good place to start. This is a foot in the door, so to speak, for political control of the press. If the legislature can order newspapers to initial editorials, it probably also has the power to speak to their contents. Editorials will be the first point of attack. Next will come the news columns. Admittedly, the present system-isn't perfect. Like everything else in life it's subject to human frailities. Would you prefer to have your governmental leaders say what you get to read? That's where governmental control once begun could lead . Committee effort Snow's bill also overlooks the fact, like some bills in the legislature, editorials are the work of a committee. Some papers have an editorial board that charts policy and discusses the editorial content of the newspaper. More and more the Idaho legislature is putting out committee instead of personal bills, sometimes because the lawmakers want to hide their own personal sponsorship. If the Moscow Democrat who proposed the editorial initialing bill really wants everything out in the open, he ought to introduce a rule forcing full identification for all legislation. Curiously v even though Snow sponsored the editorial bill, it came from committee.Probably the most interesting thing about Snow's bill is that it is backed by some of those same legislators who stand on the floor and shout their support of the constitution and decry government interference in private enterprise.Incredible. Citizen's privacy is unprotected even though controls may exist by Bonnie Cantwell Editor-in-Chief Turning to concern over the privacy of American citizens, Nixon has appointed Vice President Gerald Ford to direct a council which will study ways to ensure that privacy of citizens does not fall victim to computers. The committee, composed of cabinet members, has four months to write a recommendation on how government should regulate personal information distribution in order to protect the confidentiality of credit, tax, police and other personal information. The very suggestion of controlling personal information distrubution probably comes as a relief "to most Americans, but even good intentions of solving the problem cannot eliminate the inherent dangers of even storing such data. It is not the computers who step on people's privacy, it is the people who use the computers. The information and computer banks are there, and someone, some place may certainly have access to the computers. Controls on business Controls could be placed on private businesses and organizations and how they may distribute information they have on citizens. It could even control their access to other information. But the fact remains that those who are applying the restrictions are those from which the citizens have the most to fear. Citizens are probably not nearly so concerned over what a private business knows as they are over what the Federal Bureau of Investigations knows. Private business may harrass or discriminate according the information they have on the personal business of the citizen. But the Internal Revenue Service and, of course, the FBI, who are prone to all sorts of investigations, will probably be the official organizations with real purpose and need to get into the files of computers. Wiretapping Nixon has stated that the council will make no recommendations as to restrictions on wiretapping, inasmuch as that area is under a separate committee's studies. Further, no matter what the council may recommend, Nixon is not exactly famous for following the advice given by these special commissions to study problems. The dangers of privacy invasion are with us, and the public should be wary at the perhaps good intentions of Nixon and his Cabinet. The fact still remains that there is no privacy for the American citizen. It's just a matter of to whom what facts are open. |