NEWS COUNCIL TO PURSUE NIXON'S TV NEWS COMPLAINT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000300660031-6
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 1, 2004
• Sequence Number: 31
• Publication Date: December 22, 1973
• Content Type: NSPR

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News Council , to Pursue
Nixon S tv new's compRaint
By Margaret Cronin Fisk '
The National News Council has decided
to pursue its investigation of President
Nixon's charges, made in his October 26
press conference, that the network news
programs contain "outrageous, vicious and
distorted" reporting-despite White
House refusals to provide the council with
specific charges.
The Council, established in august as a
national press onibudsman, had launched
its investigation shortly after the charges
were made. In early November William
Arthur, executive director for the Council
requested specific charges from the ad-
ministration.
At. the time Ken Clawson,. deputy direc-
.tor of communications said the White
House would comply with the request.
However, despite several phone calls,
telegrams and even meetings with White
House officials, no specific charges were
made. General areas of discontent with
network reporting were discussed. Some
of these' areas included the ITT settle-
ment, , Belie Rebozo's finances,, and the
Christmas bombing of North Vietnam.
No time to cooperate
But specific offending broadcasts were
? not outlined. On December 7, White House
deputy press secretary Gerald Warren
said the administration "simply doesn't
have the staff or the time . . . to join in
any cooperative research study."
However, the council does not consider
the investigation closed. Associate director
Ned Schnurman noted that Zeigler "in-
vited us to cone back." Sometime next
week Schnurman and Arthur will meet
with Zeigler again to further request spe-
cific instances of "outrageous and vicious"
reporting.
Arthur said, the investigation would
continue "until we finally cone to the
point that the White I-louse refuses to
provide us.with specifics." In going back
next week, the Council staff will take to
Zeigler logs of network broadcasts cover-
ing the sensitive areas discussed in previ-
ous meetings and interviews.
Not endless
Schnurman said "the next meeting is
the critical one. We're pursuing this as
far as possible." But, he added, the coun-
cil would "not endlessly go down to the
White House with hat in hand."
to he anti-media. If the next meeting with
Ziegler is still unproductive, Sclinurman
added, , "we can issue a strong report
about the White House not cooperating."
Second study
The Nixon charge against the networks
is the second major investigation under-
taken by the council. The first is a study
of access to the nmedia, spurred by the
recent Miami Herald case in which that
paper was ordered to provide right or
reply'space to a local politician.
For that study, the council commis-
sioned Columbia University law professor
Benno C. Schnidt. Arthur estimated that
the Schmidt's study would be completed
next month.
Both of these major investigations have
been intitiated by the council. The council
also hears grievances against the national
media. (The by-laws preclude complaints
against local media in order to limit the
council's purview to a manageable size.)
Few Grievances
The number of grievances against the
national media-networks, wire services,
Washington bureaus of newspapers, mag-
azines-has been -fairly light. Arthur por-
tially attributed this to the "professional
level" of the national media.
Schnurman said "our correspondence is
in the hundreds, but substantive com-
plaints are probably only 25-30 out of
that." And about a "dozen" of those are
ones the council were able to pursue.
"Some drop by the wayside because the
complainant doesn't pursue," he said.
Before considering a grievance, the
Council rules require that the complainant
first complain to the news medium in-
volved.
Arthur said that "most lettters are
merely emotional," with vague complaints
against the whole press.
For example, one recent letter that ar-
rived-in the Cocgncil.ofice asks the council
to "do something about the unresponsible
(sic) way the media, (both air and press)
are treating our president."
Then the letter calls for a law which
will send a newsman to jail for "reputa-
tion murder" if lie's unable to prove sonic-
thing he wrote.
Another letter writer wanted the Coun-
cil to investigate why A13C News anchor-
man Harry Reasoner "sneers every time
he mentions President Nixon's nanme,"
Schnurmanl. added.
was within his rights in using the word
because he is a commentator.
Arthur said "any complaint that comes
in is worth our effort to respond. We will
hear complaints from every part of the
public-even AIM."
Serious complaint
A more serious complaint was one re-
cently lodged against Newsweek complain-
ing of coverage of the recent Chile coup.
Newsweek put one figure on the body
count following the coup and other media
differed. The Wall Street Journal went so
far as to run an article- countering the
Newsweek article and running a rebuttal
by' the Newsweek executive editor, Ken
Auchincloss. Schnurman called this "an
unusual case where the press itself is
holding a public hearing."
The Council has not come to any deci-
sion on that grievance. The Council deci-
sions have no legal binding on the media.
The Council "depends solely on publicity
for its effectiveness." It can't compel evi-
dence or force compliance with its
findings. And Arthur assures that the
Council will never ask a reporter to re-
veal his source.
The Council was established in August
following a study by the Twentieth Centu-
ry Fund. The Fund now provides 25% of
the Council's budget, The John and Mary
Markle Foundation provides another 25%.
The following foundations provide the
rest of the funding: The Mary Reynolds
Babcock Foundation, the William Benton
Foundation, the Pauline and Louis Cowan
Foundation, Patrick and Anna M. Cudahy
Fund, the Mellett Fund for a Free and
Responsible Press, the Jane and Leo Mod-
el Foundation, the Poynter Fund and the
Ernest D.' Van Loben Sels-Eleanor Slate
Van Loben Sels Charitable Foundation.
The council is funded for three years
\vith an average budget to $400.000 per
year. The first year budget is $350,000.
Costs are expected to go up in the second
year's as complaints and investigations in-
crease. The council expects to hold public
hearings on some cases in the future.
investigation was made at a national < Even the complaints that are pursuable'
meeting with the Minnesota Press Council seem petty. Accuracy in Media, a conser-
December 10 and 11. Scluiurman said the vative.media Nvatcher.group complained to
Council decided to pursue because the the council in September of CBS conimen-
President's charges were "very serious." tator Eric Sevareid's use of the word
Ile added, "We're not here as an agent "heavily." in describing media coverage of
of the media but as a public organization the Ilue massacre in Vietnam.
examining thifngA ']'here is, tre~nci does 0'60 et-fni iclt~~y~
amount of skc it' 'k~ i4l\fRld~i41CeC1t%~se 9U i~.i .sec ~ i$Ri? l~t h( 4iN300660031-6
as to the motives of the press." announcing its decision--that Sevarcid
A tomplrte investigation of the Nixon