EDITORIAL DIRECTOR APPOINTED BY MCGOFF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400260029-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 29
• Publication Date: August 13, 1977
• Content Type: NSPR

/3Lks-k X77
p ed For Release 2005/01/12: CIA-RDP88-0113i15ROtfl0,4OQ26QG89~+f , for 1971.
E ditoriaI"di'rec tor In 1971 , he joined the Miami (Fla.)
News as assistant managing editor, and
was promoted to Managing Editor the
appointed by McGoff following year. At the end of 1973, he left
that newspaper in a dispute between the
editor, a close associate, and the news-
John P. McGoff, president and chief rightly on issues. Instead, too many have paper's owners.
executive officer of Panax Corporation, retreated timidly to board rooms and For the next two years, he worked as a
has appointed James R. Whelan as edito- cashier's cages, leaving the arena of free-lance writer and consultant.
rial director of the company's news- ideas to syndicated columnists and hired In 1976, together with five partners, he
papers. hands. acquired a failing, 32-year-old weekly,
At the same time, McGoff said Whelan "We believe in-and will continue to the Home News, and nourished it back
had been elected a vicepresident of the practice-rugged, independent, local to health. Inasmuch as 63% of the
corporation at the July 25 meeting of the journalism. But we also believe in rug- 140,000 inhabitants of Hialeah, the
company's Board of Directors. ged, independent leadership." community it serves, are of Hispanic ori-
" McGoff noted that the past few years
We are committed at Panax," gin, the partners later launched asecond,
McGoff said, "to publishing the finest have been a time of rapid growth for hi-lingual publication, the Hialeah
newspapers of our size in America, Panax. News/Las Noticias de Hialeah.
newspapers with a strong and vigorous "In 1972, just five years ago," he said,
editorial personality. We have conducted "we published eight dailies and 25 week -
a to defend news
a nationwide search, lasting several lies in 3 states. Now, we publish seven
months, to find the right person to give dailies and 43 weeklies in Michigan, II- policy at open hearing
us the leadership to reach those goals. linois, Florida and Washington, D.C.
"We are confident that Mr. Whelan is "During the early years of our growth, National News Council set August 16
that person, because of his record of we were fortunate to enjoy the expert for an open hearing on the controversy
accomplishment as a reporter, writer, guidance of Don Hoenshell as our edito- surrounding the Panax newspaper group
and editor, at the local, national and rial director. Since Don moved on three and the issue of news control of member
international levels, because those skills years ago to become editor of the Sac- newspapers by a group ownership.
were tempered and broadened by expo- rainento (Calif.) Union (owned by The hearing was requested by John
sure as a business executive and as a another sister company controlled by McGoff, Panax president. It will be held
publisher, and because of his personal McGoff), we have felt the increasing in the Council offices in New York at
qualities." need for another firm hand to assure that Lincoln Plaza.
McGoff said Whelan, presently presi- we grow in quality as well as in size and The Council said other interested par-
number. ties were also being advised of the hear-
dent and editor of the Hialeah (Fla.) Pub- Whelan, 44, comes to Panax after a ing. One group notified was the Commit-
fishing Company, would assume his new professional career that began 27 years tee for Responsible Journalism in Es-
duties at the Company's East Lansing ago as a copy boy on the Berffalo (N.Y.) canaba, Mich., which had asked to be
headquarters on August
_.,._- Courier-Express. In the years since, he represented at any hearing convened.
He said Whelan's primary respon- has climbed through the ranks to just The controversy brought the firing of
sibilities would center on working with about every level on the journalistic lad- one Panax editor in Michigan and the
the editors of Panax newspapers in order der. He also has won numerous honors, resignation of another.
to develop a better flow of news and including a Nieman Fellowship at Har- (The issue arose in early June when
ideas among them and to and from the yard (1966-1967), and the Citation of Ex- iPanax headquarters in East Lansing,
Panax bureaus in 1 ansing New York cellence of the Overseas Press Club of IMich., sent two stories to editors of the
and Washin n. America. chain's papers both critical of President
e have a tremendous and largely- From the Courier-Express, he went to Carter. David Rood, editor of the Es
untapped reservoir of talent," McGoff the Buffalo bureau of the United Press canaba Daily Press, refused to run the
said, "in the persons of the 400 repor- International as one of the youngest staff articles, and was subsequently dis-
ters, editors and writers and photo- correspondents of the news agency in the charged. Bob Skuggen, editor of the
journalists on our newspapers. country. With two years out for Army Marquette Mining Journal, also pro-
"Harnessing and channeling all that service, and one for the Nieman Fellow- tested. He declined to run the first story,
energy and ability, so that stories and ship, he remained with UPI until 1968, rewrote the second. His offer to resign
ideas are shared as widely as they ought serving in Buffalo, Boston, Providence, was accepted.
to be, can only enhance all of our papers. New York, Buenos Aires, Caracas and In a later policy statement, McGoff
In a similar vein, we need more two-way San Juan, as a reporter, editor, news said he had the right ''to distribute what-
communication between our papers and editor, foreign correspondent, bureau ever news copy he deems appropriate
bureaus." manager, country manager and, finally, and to demand, if necessary, that such
McGoff said Whelan also wonLLhave division manager. copy be printed."
direct responsibilily for develooin~ an In 1968, he was recruited by Interna- The News Council denounced Mc-
overall editorial pe__r_,SQn.a.lity_fat_Ihs:_=group tional Telephone & Telegraph Company Goff's policy as regressive, asserting:
on national and international issues. for a newly-created position on the Cor- "To the Council, the central issue is the
"Such a 'personality,' '' McGoff said, porate Relations staff, moving later to relationship of chain ownership to nes~s
"would, of course, in no way relieve our line management as Vice President- control. Mr. McGofl* has highlighted one
local editors of their responsibility to Operations of ITT Western Hemisphere of the great underlying public fear, about
formulate editorial opinions on the full Directories, a subsidiary with branches newspaper chains-that what the public
range of issues, nor impinge on their throughout Latin America. reads is directed from u far by autocratic
rightful autonomy. He left ITT in 1970 to return to news- ownership."
"Yet we do feel that too many pub- papering, as Washington-based Latin In asking for the hearing, McGoff said
fishers and others in positions of trust America correspondena of the Scripps- the News Council action was ''mis-
and responsibility for newspapers have Howard Newspaper Alliance. It was leading." He added that "we would wel-
abdicated the one, essential responsibil- while with SHNA that he won the OPC come the opportunity to tell its members
it to s eak clear! f cefully an rth- ward i t s r r * on t~ truth about what ha pened."
y' P y' ` orAugust ors jeiease ~:I -I -013 ~OR000400260029-2p 15
EDITOR & PUBLISHER f August 4 1