Secrecy, Security and Freedom

1eman• orts July~ 1958 Secrecy, Security and Freedom J. R. Wiggins Hands Across the ~ caribbean Edwin A. Lahey New Typographical Techniques R. D. Allen The Economic Squeeze George Chaplin . Sweden's Decorous Press Gerard Fay The Surrender of Privacy Anthony Harrigan Attribution of News AHred Friendly The Triumph of Trivia William L. Rivers C. P. Scott on Journalism- Elmer Davis and Tom Stokes - "Through an Asian Looking· Glass" by Piyal Wickramasinghe- "Titlc-itis" by Robert j. Cranford- "Is Newspaper Humor a Lost Art?" by Karl F. Zeisler Nieman Fellows for 1958-59 Reviews- Scrapbook- Nieman Notes II Of IUUIIUUUUUUUI U U B I U U U UUUi U i i U U if i 111111 11 111111111 1 2 NIEMAN REPORTS Nonpariel, and continued while in college on the Des Moines Register and Tribune. For two years after college he was on the Evansville (Ind.) Courier. Since 1953 he NiemanRe:ports has been in charge of the editorial page of the Riverside Press-Enterprise. Nieman Reports is published by the Nieman Alumni Council. Piers Anderton, New York City; Barry Brown, Providence, R. 1.; He plans to study the role of the Supreme Court and John L. Dougherty, Rochester; Thomas H. Griffith, New York other constitutional questions. City; A. B. Guthrie, Jr., Great Falls, Mont.; John M. Harrison, Evans Clinchy, education reporter, Hartford Times. He Iowa City; Weldon James, Louisville, Ky.; Francis P. Locke, Dayton, 0.; Frederick W. Maguire, Columbus, 0.; W. F. Mcllwain, is 30, a graduate of Harvard College in 1949 and has been Garden City, N.Y.; Harry T. Montgomery, New York City; Fred on the Hartford Times for eight years where he has been erick W. Pillsbury, Boston; Charlotte F. Robling, Norwalk, Conn.; music and drama critic. But the last few years he has Dwight E. Sargent, Portland, Me.; Kenneth Stewart, Ann Arbor, concentrated on reporting on the public schools of Hart Mich.; John Strohmeyer, Bethlehem, Pa.; Walter H. Waggoner, The Hague, Netherlands; Melvin S. Wax, Chicago; Lawrence G. ford and educational development in Connecticut. Some Weiss, Boulder, Colo.; Louis M. Lyons, Cambridge, Chairman. of this has been pioneer reporting on classroom work. Published. quarterly from 44 Holyoke House, Cambridge 38, He plans background studies in his three fields of edu Mass. Subscnption $3 a year. Entered as second-class matter De cember 31, 1947, at the post office at Boston, Massachusetts, un cation, music and the theatre. der the Act of March 3, 1879. Harold T. P. Hayes, associate editor, Esquire Magazine. VOL. XII; NO. 3 JULY, 1958 He is 32, native of North Carolina and a graduate of Wake Forest College in 1949. He started news work with Nieman Fellowships For 1958-59 the United Press in Atlanta in 1949. After two years of service in the Marines he turned to magazine journalism, Eleven Americans have been awarded Nieman Fellow first on Pageant Magazine, then as features editor of Tempo ships at Harvard University for the college year opening and Picture Week, and for the past two years with Esquire in September, and four foreign journalists have been named Magazine as general assignments editor, planning articles Associate Nieman Fellows. on contemporary American life. The eleven Americans are six reporters, two editorial He plans studies in American civilization. writers, one telegraph editor, one science news editor and one magazine editor. One of the reporters specializes in Phil J. Johnson, reporter, New Orleans Item. He is 28, education news, three in la'bor. a graduate of Loyola University in 1950. He started work The foreign journalists, appointed as Associates, are on the Item while still in college ten years ago, as a selected and supported by the Carnegie Corporation and sports writer. He has since covered major news develop ments in his region, including the hurricane disaster last the Asia Foundation. The Carnegie Corporation is spon soring newsmen from Australia and New Zealand. The year. He plans to study problems of his area, in economics Asia Foundation is bringing two journalists from India and sociology. and Burma. John Patrick Kelly, telegraph editor, Atlanta Journal. The American Nieman Fellows make the 21st group He is 31, a graduate of the University of North Carolina in to be appointed for a year of resident study at Harvard 1947. He started on the Winston-Salem Journal in 1947, under a bequest from Mrs. Agnes Wahl Nieman to Har became Sunday editor there and in 1953 went to the vard in 1937 in honor of her husband, Lucius W. Nieman, Raleigh Times as news editor, later managing editor. He founder of the Milwaukee Journal. joined the Atlanta Journal a year ago. The Selecting Committee were: Carl E. Lindstrom, He plans to study the Middle East and Far East and executive editor of the Harford Times; William J. Miller, American foreign policy. chief editorial writer of the New York Herald Tribune· Mitchel R. Levitas, reporter, New York Post. He is 28, a Donald C. Shoemaker, executive director of the Souther~ graduate of Brooklyn College in 1951. He served with the Education Reporting Service; Steven M. Spencer, associate Voice of America two years and has been five years on the editor of the Saturday Evening Post; William M. Pinker Post. Besides general reporting, he has done special series ton, director of the Harvard News Office; Carroll M. Wil on the condition of Puerto Rican workers in New York liams, professor of zoology, Harvard; and Louis M. Lyons, and on New York's garment industry, and labor union curator of the Nieman Fellowships. problems. The Nieman Fellows for 1958-59 are: He plans to study economics, including labor, and mod Norman A. Cherniss, editorial page editor, Riverside ern history. (Calif.) Press-Enterprise. He is 32, a graduate of the Uni Perry E. Morgan, associate editor, Charlotte (N.C.) versity of Iowa in 1950. News. He is 31, a graduate of the University of Georgia He started newspaper work at 15 on the Council Bluffs (Continued on Page 26) NIEMAN REPORTS 3 ~Secrecy, Security and Freedom By J. R. Wiggins The struggle for liberty is never ending. Here we are, served only to conceal our weaknesses from ourselves and 223 years after the trial of Peter Zenger, still confronted from our friends. with the necessity of fighting for the right to criticize the conduct of government. Those upon whom we so much depend for our survival The challenge to that right now comes in a different our scientists-warned us that this would happen. Let us form. It no longer is mainly the threat of punishment for look at some of these warnings to which our government harmless publication that the people most fear, although would not and did not listen. In hearings starting on that threat has not by any means vanished. If Lloyd March 7, 1956, before the House Subcommittee on Govern Wright, the chairman of the President's Loyalty Commis ment Operations, a whole succession of scientists voiced sion, had his way, and the punishments of the Espionage their alarms at the effects of excessive secrecy. Act were made operative against the press, the right might Dr. Stanley Livingston, professor of physics, Massachu once again be rescued only by juries so sure of their course setts Institute of Technology, said: as to refuse either to indict or to convict. But this is not "To me it seems essential that the present system of in now the main threat. formation security be revised if our country is to achieve The greatest menace is in another form. Criticism of the that long-range strength in scientific and technical produc acts of government is being obstructed by the simple device tivity required for survival in the modern world." of so concealing knowledge of what the acts of government At another point, he testified: are that there can be no intelligent criticism of policy. "Almost by definition, the present system of compart The right of citizens to know is a right of so many parts mentalization of secrets restricts and handicaps progress. that it may be variously attacked. It happens to be an It is essential that we restudy the usefulness of the concept attack upon the right to get information that most threatens of secrecy-at-any-cost in the present complex situation. The the right to know about government and the right to pertinent question is whether the emphasis on secrecy stulti criticize it in our time. fi~s progress, resulting in an actual decrease in our national The secrecy that has resulted from two world wars, from security." the cold war, from the growth of government and from the He also warned: mistrust of public opinion has produced a threat to demo "We cannot expect that we can keep secret broad areas cratic institutions. A government which rests upon the of knowledge without unduly restricting our own progress." opinion of a fully informed people is a democratic govern He told the committee: ment; a government which rests upon the uninformed opin "I don't mean to be facetious, but I really feel that there ion of citizens from whom information has been withheld is a possibility that if we had no security restrictions what by the government itself is a caricature of democratic gov soever, we might be further ahead of potential enemies to ernment. day than we are at the present. I have considered this at It is only recently that we have come to realize that some length. I think it is entirely possible from the balance exaggerated governmental secrecy is a threat not only to of risks and the speed of development point of view that it our liberties, but that it is as well a hazard to our very lives; might be possible that zero security might have led to more not only a menace to our freedom, but a danger to our very progress." survival; not only a reproach to our democracy, but a ter Lloyd V.

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