The Oklahoma Times from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 3

Libel suits increasing defense getting harder 'J t) 1 if Another thing Worrall said to do was "know the reputation of the person to be written about" Some persons Worrall said have a history of filing libel actions Anything written about them should of course not be questionable Any matter of public record is safe he said If papers can prove that information termed libelous was gotten from official sources court records or police records for example then they are not held accountable for the information Another bit of bad information Worrall relayed to the press was that juries are now as a rule hostile to publications Though reporters may consider themselves Dustin Hoffman or Robert Redford types he said juries certainly do Libel suits are more and more being taken to trial before juries instead of being settled before judges and this hostility by Jurors toward the members of the Fourth Estate is a major reason that publications are under more pressure to get their facts Another factor conducive to filing libel suits is that most lawyers Worrall said will file a libel action for a minimal fee of about $45 with the bulk of their payment coming from the contingency fee if the case is won I 1 was )be rail MIS he of he tion cial rds ac- rail are der )ert do I a 1 Atet11 --mommonondi MRS RUTH MUSSELMAN looks on as Robby Trammell (center) is presented with the Beachy Musselman Award by Jim Pate president of the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation The presentation was made during the Governor's Breakfast at the OPA Mid-Winter Convention Feb 18 By ONG NEWS BUREAU Robby Trammell managing editor and associate publisher of the Seminole Producer received the Beachy Musselman Award at a breakfast meeting February 18 during the OPA Mid-Winter Convention Trammell was presented the award by Jim Pate president of the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation The award of 6260 is presented annually by the foundation from interest on funds given in memory of Norman Beachy Mussebnan publisher of the Shawnee News-Star from 1915 to 1963 and president of OPA in 1962 Mrs Ruth Musselman and Burkey Musselman widow and son of Musselman are donors of the award now in its seventh year Mrs Musselman was recognized as a special guest at the breakfast Trammell received the award largely for his intense and in-depth reporting of the Controversy surrounding the Seminole County commissioners and assessor His efforts resulted in an informed public that demanded improvements in Seminole County government procedures and in Grand Jury indictments and charges filed by the district attorney last year He is also a member of Rotary Club Elks Club and the Athletic Association He and his wife Linda reside at 811 Park St in Seminole Ai 1 I 1 I t------- i 4- I I I i 114 if I MRS RUM MUSSELMAN looks on as Robby Trammell (center) is presented with 3 the Beachy Musselman Award by Jim Pate president of the Oklahoma Newspaper Foundation The presentation was made during the Governor's Breakfast at the OPA 5 Mid-Winter Convention Feb 18 usse man Award oes ammeil 1 By ONG NEWS BUREAU Mrs Ruth Musselman and Burkey Mussehnan widow and son of Musselman Robby Trammell managing editor and are donors of the award now in its seventh i associate publisher of the Seminole year Mrs Musselman was recognized as Producer received the Beachy a special guest at the breakfast masseiman Award at a breakfast meeting Trammell received the award largely February 18 during the OPA Mid-Winter for his intense and in-depth reporting of 5 Convention the Controversy surrounding the Seminole County commissioners and assessor His 'Trammell was presented the award by efforts resulted in an informed public that Jim Pate president of the Oldahoma demanded improvements ements in Seminole Newspaper Foundation County government procedures and in The award of 6250 is presented annually Grand Jury indictments and charges filed by the foundation from interest on funds by the district attorney last year a given in memory of Norman Beachy He is also a member of Rotary Club 5 Mussehnan publisher of the Shawnee Elks Club and the Athletic Association I News-Star from 1945 to 1963 and president He and his wife Linda reside at 811 of OPA in 1962 Park St in Seminole I of OPA in 1962 1- By BRIAN STANLEY ONG News Bureau Editors and publishers attending the Oklahoma Press Association's 89th Annual Mid-Winter Convention in Oklahoma City were given some disconcerting news February 18 about that bane of the publishing world libel: Larry WorTall an attorney with the Employees Reinsurance Corporation of Kansas City Mo told the convention that libel actions against publications are on the increase and that some publications have found it increasingly difficult to defend themselves against libel suits Legal reporting Worrall said is the area which gives rise to the greatest number of libel actions because of the intricate matter of the subject and the high emotions which usually surround it Because the crime rate has risen dramatically in the past 20 years or so Worrall said there are many more cases to be reported and therefore more instances in which reporters can err Putting it more succinctly Worrall said that the increased number of cases "gave reporters more opportunities to screw something up" Wonall said that up until a few years ago only "a fool" could get himself into serious trouble in a libel suit because the courts' interpretation of libel laws made it almost impossible to prove libel' Persons pressing libel charges had to prove that publications published false material while knowing that the material was false and they had to prove malicious Intent But a 1974 ruling involving a Chicago lawyer Robert Gertz has made things a bit tougher for publications Gertz whom the courts ruled to be a private citizen pressed libel charges against a publication which had linked him to communist activity He was awarded a sum of some 860000 though the Supreme Court later lessened the amount The case according to Worrall opened the doors to suits by private citizens who thought they had been wronged in print Public officials Worrall said still have to prove malicious intent when pressing libel suits though there is a move afoot in Congress to change that Worrall said government officials were increasingly resentful of bad press "Almost anyone who loses an election now files a libel suit" he said In advising editors how to stay out of a libel suit Worrall said that they should "know their sources" That is before publishing information editors should be fairly certain that the source from which the information was gleaned is reliable oil MI we 1 Er Kg lib th ha de I ar i nu tri en I dn to su th rel so ag ael co au Pn nil wa kit 1 laN bit Pr ag ta sul Co The joys of being an editor 1 1 Getting out this little paper is no picnic If we print jokes people say we are silly If we don't they say we are too serious If we clip things from other sources we are too lazy to write them ourselves If we don't we are too fond of our own stuff If we don't print contributions we don't appreciate true genius If we do print them the paper is full of junk If we make a change in the other person's writing we are too critical If we don't we are asleep Now likely as not someone will say we swiped this from some other publication WE DID WE DID lt jokes people say we 't they say we are too ip things from other are too lazy to write yes we are too fond of our print contributions we iate true genius rint them the paper is a change in the other Ling we are too critical we are asleep as not someone will KI this from some other 1 News Bureau students cover M4V convention News Bureau O'Collegian The Muskogee native has worked on both the Muskogee Phoenix and the Tulsa Tribune He assisted UPI in coverage of the Oklahoma delegation at the 1976 Democratic National Convention tt4DTHE istAttw Idt14DTHE (OR 01111 Virginia Curtin dies Feb 5 While publishers and their families took a few days off journalism students were hard at work at the Oklahoma Natural Gas News Bureau during the OPA Convention Coordinating the work at the booth were Walter Radmilovich vice president of public relations and Ms Charlene Bassett public relations representative at ONG Fred Davis manager of public relations ONG Oklahoma City District was also on hand to work with the students Busily retyping finished copies were Oklahoma City ONG secretaries Ms Janet Lawrence and Ms Nita Babel Students working with the ONG News Bureau included: Roy Addington is a native of Las Vegas Nevada He is a graduate journalism student working as a major staff reporter on the OU student newspaper the Oklahoma Daily Noel Bermudez is a native of Los Angeles California He is a mass communications major at Oklahoma City University He has served as a reporter for the OCU Campus and is currently a fine arts major James Cecil is a graduate of Norman High School and a native of Norman He is a junior journalism student at the University of Oklahoma James has served on the staff of the Oklahoma Daily while at OU: Jim East is a senior journalism student at Oklahoma State University where he is a reporter and campus editor for the Daily Connie Falk is a junior majoring in English at Oklahoma State University where she has worked for five semesters for the Daily O'Collegian The Oklahoma City native has worked for UPI and the Weekly Vista Bella Vista Arkansas Mark Green is a native of Norman He is a junior journalism student at the University of Oklahoma where he is a reporter for the Oklahoma Daily Mark Lee is a senior agricultural journalism student at Oklahoma State University where he is assignment editor for the O'Collegian The Broken Arrow native has worked for KOSU Radio and the Broken Arrow Ledger Bill Ritchey ONG News Bureau photographer is a senior at Central State University where he is majoring in journalism with photographic arts emphasis Brian Stanley is a senior journalism student at the University of Oklahoma The Norman native works for the Oklahoma Daily He has been a part-time sports reporter for the Noble News Penny Voytko is a junior journalism student at Oklahoma State University where she is a city staff reporter for the O'Collegian A Lawton native she has worked for the Cameron Collegian WANTED Litho Film Plato Silver Chip Highest Prices Regular Pick UP Service 45 lb Minimum Guarantee With Yearly Agreement Dr Virginia Curtin longtime Watonga physician and former publisher of the Watonga Republican died Saturday February 5 at St Francis Hospital in Tulsa She was hospitalized following a heart attack Services for Mrs Curtin were held Tuesday February 8 at the First United Methodist Church in Watonga Burial was in the 100F Cemetery Mrs Curtin and her late husband Gerald "Cowboy" Curtin published the Republican for 23 years 'After her husband's death in 1965 she continued as co-publisher until 1972 when Tim and Patt Curtin became sole owners Survivors include a son Tim Curtin' Watonga two daughters Charlotte Curtin Watonga and Mrs Don Temple Tulsa and a brother Charles Olson Shreveport La fr 4 4 I 1 Ni I '7 A r' 4' 1 I e'''' 1We Thank All Our Customers For 8 Years Of Business Write or Call Collect: Miller Brown Brown Material Route 7 Box 18D OKC 73109 Phone 405-632-3131 or 632-7663 February 1977 THE-OKLAHOMA PUBLISHER Page3 evi onosl at -1Y -41 I.