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Show IT Serials Order Department University of Utah 84112 City uw WERSm OF i i. n mm VOLUME 17, NUMBER 247 Uniformity, Law Professor Charges Government the past and probably will continue intervention in the media "has not been used to promote diversity, but to homogenize to suppress what to suppress diversity." If the historic First Amendment attitude toward a free press does not spread from print to broadcast media and "if government intervention in both media is the wave of the future," he suggests, then "the second-bes- t situation be well might represented by 'fairness doctrine' intervention in the electronic media and a 'free access' type of intervention in the print media." the Federal Communications Commission sees as undesirable diversity." Prof. William F. Baxter of the Stanford Law School contends. and broadcast media from "virtually total Both print suffer I SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH Government's Media Role Promotes STANFORD W off domination by middle class point of view, articulated at the cocktail party level of sophistication and slicked over with the superficial moralisms of journalism schools," he declares in a paper prepared for the American Economic Association. "The problem appears to be at its worst on network television." While electronic media now are middle-of-the-roa- MONDAY, JANUARY 14, 1974 ort ABA Jyey 02 nitairMflar CHICAGO Many key contemporary issues will be debated by the American Bar Association when national legal the 176,000-memb- t er organization holds its midyear meeting in Houston. January 30 through February 5. One of these issues is providing of legal services to the public. An open hearing on delivery of legal services will in fact be held in conjunction with the ABA meeting. The hearing will be conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee's iilD(dlvSSl subcommittee on representation of citizen interests, chaired by Sen. John V. Tunney on 3. Sunday. February Among other significant issues that will be debated by the 330 members of the ABA's policymaking House of Delegates on February 5 are those that call for : -- Support of "comprehensive" federal shield laws to protect all persons engaged in gathering and (D-Calif- .), 4-- disseminating news and information against compelled upon a would improve that performance even slightly. "Government intervention in that part of the media which attempts to achieve a broad appeal, even under the aegis of a benign ad- ministration, constitutes carrying coal to Newcastle. The dominant pressure of a mass democracy has very much the same features as audience division on a free medium struggle to capture the middle, waged at a level of sophistication comprehensible to the middle, in which minorities are easily ignored. . . "As to more specialized segments of the media, (government) has in H. S tender administered the oath of office Tuesday, Dec. 18. Schulte, who became acting deputy assistant secretary in September, formerly was the Labor Department's assistant regional director for the Oc- cupational Safety and Health Administration in Denver. He had served in that position since OSHA's inception April 28, 1971. Prior to joining OSHA, Schulte was regional director for the Department's Bureau of Lbor Standards in Kansas City for five years. He also served in the Army Corps of Engineers for 28 years as a construction inspection research engineer and as chief safety engineer in the Kansas City District. He is a registered civil engineer in Missouri, a member of the Veterans of Safely organizations, and a certified safety professional. six-pers- resolving possibly conflicting vironmental and economic encon- of three marital status. to be nominated AHA officers during the midyear meeting include the president-elecsecretary, and. treasurer, as well as five members of the Board of Governors and the chairman of the House of t, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammmmm BUSINESS LEADERS: 24-ho- ur government intervention Impeachment or resignation of President Nixon. Use of juries for civil cases in federal courts. -- Kstablishment of a new administrative agency on both state and federal levels responsible for Opposition to discrimination in credit practices based on sex or ! Secretary persons. Congressional bills to prevent what their sponsors feel is . an unwarranted invasion of financial privacy. ' audience. In broadcasting, "one man's freedom of access becomes another man's lack of freedom to OSHA Swears in Deputy Asst against single discriminating Kndorsement "captive" more numerous than daily newspapers in major metropolitan ignore." areas, this does not mean their views are more diverse, Baxter TPplying" both "free access" and the "fairness doctrine" to broadargues. should not be tolerated, he casters In fact, a single newspaper can adds. This would require a encompass more diversity than broadcaster first to provide opseveral broadcast stations. A single of Wall Street Journal, for the portunities for expression of copy example, carries about as many idiosyncratic views and then, at his words as a broadcast, he own expense, to. provide a balan- -' cing presentation. notes. "Thus the capacity of a single Thanks to ordinary newspaper newspaper to deliver diversity, scanning and random access, including diversity along the however, "the reader does retain his right to ignore" editorial or political spectrum through an assortment of syndicated columAdvertising content in the print nists, greatly exceeds any media. analogous capacity on the part of a Hence "the right of access-certa- inly (single) broadcaster." if conditioned on payment For this reason, Baxter mainof the publisher's usual advertising tains there is "no justification for rates would appear to be a far less rules onerous solution significantly different than any governregarding government intervention mental attempt to impose and for the purpose of achieving administer a 'fairness doctrine.' diversity." "The long acceptance of After current reviewing newspaper 'retraction' statutes in technological trends, Baxter states several states on publishers. . . may that "we are stuck for a significant suggest that a broader access period of time with about that much statute would not be held in diversity and about that number of violation of the First Amendment." editorial voices available to us today" through both print and broadcast media. Baxter says that "more vigorous, purposeful (government) intervention is a frightening prospect unless the levers are in the hands of saints of great wisdom; and such men are in short supply, particularly in government agencies. Howard J. Schulte has been sworn as Deputy Assistant Secretary of "Deplorable as both sets of media Labor for Occupational Safety and are and have been, in my judgment, Health. I see no basis for even a faint hope Assistant Secretary of Labor John that disclosure of the sources of that news. Revision of statutes allegedly siderations. Opposition to legislatively imposed mandatory minimum prison sentences not subject to probation or parole. The arguments against providing "free access" to broadcast media are "quite powerful." since anyone who exercises this prerogative intrudes DtPt' MMS W 74 PROFIT SHRINK executives aren't nearly as divided Corporate and 1974 business about the profit prospects as are investment advisory services. One of the leading services suggests the nation may face some "temporary inconveniences" because of materials and oil shortages but that the growth progress will not be half as severe Delegates. All will stand for formal election at the Association's annual meeting in August. NEW YORK Among the speakers at the Houston midyear meeting will be: Missouri Governor Christopher Bond February S. or painful as the alarmists claim. At the same time the service sees a marked climb in unemploymentto about 7 per cent against the present 4 per cent and that the price inflation trend will not abate as rapidly as hoped. Also, that corporate profits will dip no more than 5 per who, on Staurday, will address a joint luncheon of the National Conference of Bar Presidents and the National Association of Bar Executives. cent. Another investment service, as popular as the one mentioned, predicts the 1974 economic slowdown may possibly extend into 1975 but "no severe recession." Yet it sees a continued high rate of unemployment BRd price inflation well into 1975. But, factually, the the future of the national economy depends on the mood of business leaders. At the present time that mood is somber. Worry hangs high in the executive offices of leading corporations and banks. The air of confidence that business and banking leaders had been showing is missing. 2. Congressman Breckinridge (D-Ky.- ), eon of the American John Judicature Society, February 2. Charles L. Gould, publisher, "San Francisco Examiner," Saturday, February 2, at the annual banquet of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. John Hill, Texas attorney general, Friday, February 1," at a ' luncheon of the ABA Young The American business boom has hit a snag. It is already showing in the auto and home building industries. It looks like the economic gains will be the last good quarter 1973 fourth-quartfor .a while. The first three months of 1974 will show a slow downtrend-ev- en if the Arabs open the oil spigots. Prices will continue to rise. So will unemployment. For April, May and June there will be a decline in the gross national product first in more than three years. Prices and unemployment will continue climbing. Corporate profits will show true downtrend. The quarter may show a minor im-- ; provement, because! weather will ease the fuel crunch. But it will 1 not-renot halt the rise in prices and unemployment. There could be improved, conditions in the October-Decembgish with some quarter. But the betterment will be hold will high. dip in unemployment. The inflationary prices lawyers Section. Shirley Hufstedler, U.S. Court of Appeals, Los Angeles, Sunday, February 3, at a joint luncheon of the Fellows of the American Bar Foundation and the National Conference of Bar -J- er udge Presidents. A number of ABA sections and committees will hold sessions in conjunction with the Association's meeting, as will the ABA 'Board ot Governors, which meets on January 31 and February 1. July-Septemb- peat er slow-slug- Business leaders are holding back on planned expansion spending. Consumers are expected to reduce spending, because of climbing prices. That means savings banks deposits will show marked increases. But all 1974 economic forecasts could be scuttled if the Arabs prolong the oil embargo. Most are based on expectations of. the normal economic trend, and that the Arab oil embargo would only be a temporary affair. If the Arabs hold out into the spring and or summer months, almost all economists and business leaders fear the upcoming recession may be severe and run into next year 1975. Public confidence is already badly shaken because of the inflationary price climb. B. at a lunch- . Utah Supreme Court Decisions (See details, page 4) . |