The Tampa Times from Tampa, Florida • 4

Jack C. Landau Court decision will chill news coverage Chairman 0 the Editorial Board SAM STICKNEY. Editorial Page Editor II. DOYLE Managing Editor THE TAMPA TIMES, Saturday, July 8, 1072 portance than scaring off confidential sources. The underlying constitutional thesis of the decision, by Justice Byron It.

White, is that newsmen must disclose their sources because a reporter, covering the news, has no more rights than an "average citizen." Justice White explained: "The First Amendment docs not guarantee the press a constitutional right of special access to information not available to the public generally. "Newsmen have no constitutional right to access to the scenes of crime or disaster when the general public is excluded, and they may be prohibited from WASHINGTON It may be several years before the press and the public suffers from the full censorship impact of the Supreme Court's decision requiring newsmen to disclose their confidential sources to grand juries. Several newsmen will have to go to jail and several news sources will have to be unmasked and lose their jobs before the "chilling effect" on news gathering will begin to substantially restrict the press' ability to ferret out crime and mLdeeds in government. But the 5-4 decision will have a much more pernicious effect, on the "public's right" to know about events of public im- Nick Thimmesch attending or publishing information about trials if such restrictions are necessary to assure a defendant a fair trial." Now this, of course, is an extraordinary statement of constitutional policy which undermines the entire working press concept in this country a concept that the press is entitled to special rights of access to events of Importance from which the public generally is excluded because it would be impractical, for example, to admit thousands of citizens to disaster areas. Justice White justifies depriving the press of any special rights because, he says, traditional constitutional doctrine gives every citizen the right to be a potential newsman and thus to claim special freedom of the press privileges.

"The traditional doctrine," White explained, "is that the right of the lonely pamphleteer who uses carbon paper or a mimeograph" machine is just the same as the rights of the "large metropolitan publisher who utilizes the latest photocomposition methods." As attractive as this egalitarian journalism, based on the 18th century theory of the Jcffersonian and Federalist panphlctcers may sound, it does not accord with the reportorial facts of life in technological America today. If reporters from a local newspaper, local TV station and the Associated Press, for example, can be denied access to a public trial or a disaster area on the ground that the general public should be Mitchell's problems slowed GOP campaign Is peace in jilllGII COMMUNIST sources in London have reported that both Rtoscow and Hanoi have advised the North Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi to negotiate a settlement of the war without delay. This is cause for optimism in diplomatic circles that the Paris peace talks may become just that. To date, tHey have served as hardly more tttan a propaganda forum for the Iteds. Hanoi has been offered a generous basis for a cease-fire by President Nixon.

But there has been no evidence that it will be acceptable. The Reds are demanding total U.S. withdrawal from Southeast Asia and replacement of South Vietnam's present government. In short, tfiey want control of all South-cast Asia. Hanoi gambled heavily in launching its present offensive.

Obviously, North Vietnam hoped to capture highly significant cities and deal the South Vietnamese a severe psychological blow, at the same time demonstrating that "Vietnamization" won't work. AFTER A FEW initial successes the Red drive ground to a halt and currently is losing ground to counter-attacking South Vietnamese troops in Quang Tri. There are reports of mass desertions by Red troops, food shortages at the front and supply difficulties complicated by air strikes against rail and roads leading southward plus the bombing of select targets in North Vietnam and the mining of ports and waterways. The Russians have lost an impressive number of SAM missile sites. Pilots report fewer SAM missiles now in attacks against the North.

This has opened the way for giant B-52 bombers to range widely over the North. Not a single B-52 has been lost to a Red missile to date and only one has been WASHINGTON John and Martha Mitchell made a startling exit. Now it's up to Clark MacGrcgor, the savvy, amiable, Minncsotan, to achieve an election victory that heavily favored Richard Nixon can only throw away as he almost did in 1968 when Mitchell was mastermind. With Election Day less than four months away, Nixon enjoys a decent lead in the polls, faces a Democratic Party which loves to stab itself repeatedly in the abdomen and has, in the likely McGovern nomination, a opponent given to extreme statements. Yet, the well-financed Committee for the Re-Election of the President, under Mitchell, has malfunctioned plenty.

There was the embarrassment of being legally correct but looking bad in not having to divulge the $10 million in contributions to the Nixon campaign. There was the sensational news that one of the men arrested for breaking into Democratic headquarters was the chief security agent for the Republicans. Finally, there were Martha Mitchell's kamikaze attacks on the Republican fleet. All this, and his preoccupation with the Kleindienst hearings, made John Mitchell a distracted man since he left office March 1 to run Nixon's campaign. The President's mind was on the new world of negotiating with the Chinese and Soviets.

The Democrats were en Peter Lisagor arm run 'Good Heavens Art Buchwald hi im tiff excluded, then the result will be that neither the public nor the press as a representative of the public will have any accurate information about the behavior of public officials conducting governmental affairs. Thus, this invitation to exclude the press from public news events coupled with the decision to permit intimidation of informers who confidentially report the misdeeds of government officials-implies a radical shift toward information by government "handout." Interestingly, the question of press access to news events was not directly involved in any of the three cases before the Supreme Court. There has been some speculation the opinion, by defeating the press on Issues which were not up for decision, implies a strong hostility against the press by Justice White and th? four Nixon appointed justices who voted with the majority. Reporters by tradition are supposed to stay neutral In political and legal battles. However, some younger reporters have rejected neutrality In favor of personal involvement, much to the disgruntlement of some of their editors But this Supreme Court decision and the apparent hostility of the high court to newsmen may radicalize even the staunchest neutralists because, after all, the first law of existence, even for the press, is survival.

what have I change their minds. But it was impossible. On NBC, John Chancellor and David Brinkley became short-tempered and refused to talk to each other. Howard K. Smith and Harry Reasoner on ABC were also not speaking to each other, and on CBS, Walter Cronkite wasn't talking io himself.

It was obvious to everyone in and out of the convention hall that a compromise candidate had to be found one who had not already been nominated. But who? The Democratic Party leaders call a recess behind the podium. They argue and thrash it out for several hours. The only man whose name Js proposed as the compromise candidate is a very famous, but controversial, figure on the American scene. He has announced many times that he is not a candidate for the presidency or the vice presidency, and has said under no conditions would he accept a draft.

Yet, the leaders argue he is the one person who can save the party." This young man, whose name ha? been associated with a very embarrassing incident, is a household word now. Because of the deadlock at the convention, he is the only one who can possibly beat Nixon in November. The compromise candidate Is not at the convention. He has purposely stayed away so people would believe he was not interested in the nomination. O'Brien puts in a call to him.

Everyone, in turn, gets on the phone and tells him he has to be the candidate. The compromise candidate speaks to George McGovern, Humphrey, Muskie. and Wallace. They urge him to run. The candidate finally agrees to a draft and says he will take the next plane to Miami.

And that's how Bobby Fischer, the U.S. chess champion, became the Democratic presidential nominee for 1972. sj' mm sight? Introduction of the laser-guided "smart bombs" which home in on targets with pinpoint accuracy have enabled the U.S. to destroy facilities that survived early bombing by "dumb" bombs. Neither Peking nor Moscow can exert pressure on Hanoi for ideological reasons, and both will be obliged to help North Vietnam as long as it chooses to fight.

But it is worth noting that neither China nor Russia made a move to counter the mining of Haiphong and other vital ports. A confrontation with the United States is something to be avoided. HANOI, it is suspected, is reassessing its position. The outlook is hardly bright. With its two major partners signaling it is timely to halt the fighting, the North Vietnamese must feel somewhat isolated.

It must also take into consideration its military and economic position. If morale problems are as bad in its army as have been described, the Red military machine is in a poor position to continue main force attacks. U.S. bombing has chewed up large numbers of disciplined personnel. These losses are being replaced with raw recruits.

Meanwhile, the South Vietnamese are gaining new confidence in their ability to blunt the enemy's offensive. They have discovered, also, that they are capable of fighting back and winning. The Viet Cong have been virtually eliminated except in the delta region and do not represent the major threat they did during the Tet offensive. The climate in Vietnam for peace is good. And there is reason to hope that Hanoi, confronted with reality, will agree to a peaceful settlement.

It's a war nobody needs. The station has earned high marks for its programing and certain is an asset to this area. Rather than hearing that its services are to be curtailed, it would be much more pleasant to learn that they are being expanded. In many respects, Channel 3 offers welcome relief from commercial television. It appeals especially to young people and, doubtlessly has served them well by opening new vistas of knowledge.

In time we hope this setback can be reversed and Channel 3 realize it fullest potential. Leroy Lastinger, vice president and general manager, has emphasized that the station very definitely is not going out of business. That is one bright spot in an otherwise dreary picture. were threatened with closing, and there were hints police power might have to be used to prevent homeowners from watering lawns and washing cars. City officials promised to take action to prevent a recurrence of the crisis.

The first step was to have been a contract with engineering firms to work out plans to meet the water problem. But what has happened in the last month since the crisis was ended by luck and a hurricane. City officials are stalling and hag-geling in characteristic Tampa City Hall style. Nothing has been accomplished. From the record of the past several years.

we can expect another drought next yean We had better pray for another hurricane to-solve our problems. Based on performance it would appear city officials are incapable of doing the job. Harmony isn't strong point of Democrats Channel 3 cufs back gaged in excitement and tragedy. Mitchell's committee became complacent, with staffers remarking, "there's plenty of time." Because of their close relationship, Nixon had no reason to think Mitchell wasn't up to snuff. Mitchell's word was law at the White House and at the Republican National Committee.

When campaign staffers wanted to avoid trouble either place, they went to Mitchell for backing. On taking over from Mitchell, Mac-Gregor immediately amnounced the need for strengthening local organizations and getting pro-Nixon people out to vote. "I'm not satisfied with our organization," MacGregor said. "We need better performance in the big, swing states the President can win. We're three months behind on that.

There's not enough urgency. "I'm going to do my utmost to change any practices which reflect hostility or suspicion," he told me. "I like the old politics of inclusion, and a little more openness to all. I want the President to count on all groups except the Gay Liberation Front. "As to whether I'm in charge, there's no question about that.

I am, and wouldn't have taken the job if it were otherwise. I've always had access to the President and will have." probably the first cash-on-the-barrelhead convention in history. Party Treasurer Robert Strauss, a Texas lawyer sustained by an unwarranted good humor and optimism, has to pay for the headquarters rooms in the Fontainebleau Hotel in advance. He hasn't got a dime's worth of credit with anyone, from the telephone company and concessionaires to the furniture people and security guards. The convention will cost the Democrats $2.5 million, and Strauss is $150,000 short at this writing.

The prospective presidential nominee, George S. McGovern, has scared off the Wall Street crowd and the big money "boys" in New York, Texas and California, but Strauss cheerfully believes he'll find the money somewhere. Else, this also may be the first convention in history to be foreclosed by creditors before its work is done. While McGovem's probable candidacy has dried up some fatcat sources of the past, it doesn't altogether unsettle the irrepressible Texan. When he first took over as party treasurer in the spring of 1970, George McGovern wrote him a personal check for $1,000 and offered to turn over to him a list of potential donors.

Strauss has a long memory for that sort of kindness. But what worries others who have been over the course a few times is not money, but the threat of a chaotic convention in which McGovernites, Wallace-ites and a clutch of transvestites dominate the TV screens with challenges, counter-challenges, platform demands, clamors for compromise, showoff-manship and the like. It could turn the convention hall into one gigantic smokefilled room. by Brickman Ncrr IT? 7-0 gfr on Democratic scenario for convention floor It is disappointing to learn that the very fine educational television station serving this area, WEDU-TV, is being forced to reduce its services due to a financial crisis. A number of school systems supporting the station have reduced their commitments.

Pinellas County, for instance, facing the loss of $4.5 million in state educational funds because of a poor showing in property assessment, will withhold $50,000 from Channel 3. Polk and Highlands counties have also either reduced or discontinued their support of the station. Hillsborough contributes $130,000 annually. The station will remain operational by reducing its staff by 25 per cent and cutting back on air time. MIAMI BEACH The Democrats have this thing about harmony.

It's all right for weddings, Jaycce luncheons, church socials and family picnics, but not for political conventions. Hence they are about to display their historic penchant for tumult and discord. Only this time, if their worst fears are realized, they will spend the rest of the summer and fall ministering to their self-inflicted wounds and the next four years on the analyst's couch trying to figure out the source of their schizophrenia. Their 1972 convention, which opens here Monday, will be not only un-bossed but undisciplined. They could find themselves in open defiance of federal court orders.

As their national committee lawyer Joe Califano put it so neatly, "Nobody controls the Democratic Party." The big-city bosses have been replaced by the courts as arbiters of delegate credentials, the traditional party machinery has been denuded of its honored hierarchs, and only a handful of professionals keeps the apparatus from flying apart. Pat Moynihan, the old Kennedyite who did a turn for the Nixon Administration, says the Democrats are experiencing an "orgy of inclusion." Still, there is a smell of newness about this convention, a deodorized mixture of amateurs and semi-professionals who have learned enough from their preceptors to know the approximate location of the jugular. They are not yet seasoned enough to avoid petulance when frustrated, but they have discovered that compromise is not necessarily fatal. The plight of the Democrats is further aggravated by a lack of money. This is the small society City stalls again WASHINGTON Everyone has his own scenario for this week's Democratic National Convention.

The way things have been going with the party, one scenario has as much validity as the next. This is the one that I have written and if it comes true, remember, you read it here. It is the fourth day of the convention and the Democrats have been unable to decide on a presidential candidate. The fight to scat delegations has taken up three days and those people who were ruled ineligible have refused to give up their seats to those who were officially designated as delegates to the convention. Almost every state delegation has two people sitting in every chair.

No one dares leave the floor for fear that someone will grab his seat. When someone tries to speak he is hooted down by the opposition faction. Larry O'Brien, the chairman of the party, has the podium ringed with the National Guard so no one can grab the microphone. The nomination speeches have not been heard, but the candidates have been nominated McGovern, Humphrey, Wallace, Chisholm, Jackson and Muskie. There have been no demonstrations for the candidates in the hall because everyone is afraid if he gets up and marches they won't let him back in his section again.

On the first ballot McGovern picked up 1,234 votes, well shy of the 1,509 he needed. The rest were split between the other candidates with the uncommitted refusing to vote for anyone. The second and third ballot found no one budging. By the tenth ballot of Wednesday's all-night session, the convention was hopelessly deadlocked. The state delegations caucused rigK the floor, trying to get people to Tampa was rescued from a critical drought situation last month as a result of pure luck.

Certainly city officials played no role in the situation. Hurricane Agnes, the storm that proved to be a disaster to much of the eastern half of the nation, proved to be a blessing here when she filled up the Hillsborough River Reservoir. It is significant that since the by-blow from the hurricane we have had a few mild thunderstorms, but nothing in the way of a general rain that would have relieved the critical situation if the edg'e of the big. storm had not swet throwgh-tlieVay areal tet us rerAernTSer that prior to" the storm the city water plant was" nearing the breakdown point, the river was so dangerously low air could have been sucked into the pumps causing damage and an even greater crisis, industries f10 Ux4 Fw fl lY.