JUSTICES PONDER CURBS ON SPEECH; Other Court Disagrees Protecting Morality Involved in 2 Nonobscenity Cases
Date: 17 November 1974
By WARREN WEAVER Jr.Special to The New York Times
Warren WEAVER
US Sup Ct is currently considering 2 cases involving question of whether Govt can curb free speech in effort to protect public morality where obscenity is not involved; 1 case deals with broadcasting of lottery information that is prohibited by Fed statute, other with Va law that makes it crime to publish ad for abortion services; activity, in both instances was entirely legal in state where activity occured--NJ State Lottery and NYC abortion clinic; FCC refused to permit WCMC-TV in Wildwood, NJ, to broadcast as news item wkly winning number in lottery on ground that Fed law prohibited airing any lottery information so as to avoid promoting gambling; Va cts have upheld misdemeanor conviction of Jeffrey C Bigelow, managing editor of wkly in Charlotesville, for printing ad for abortion service; broadcasting case will be argued before Ct next wk, newspaper case later in term (M)
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A.E.C. HEAD DENIES SUPPRESSING DATA; Cites 'Openness' of Policy on Nuclear Plant Safety
Date: 16 November 1974
By DAVID BURNHAM
David BURNHAM
Outgoing AEC chmn Dixy Lee Ray issues statement Nov 15 holding it 'demonstrably not true' that AEC suppresses information on safety of nuclear power plants; says while there may be some validity for such accusations in past, situation has changed now; makes statement in apparent response to NY Times Nov 10 survey of AEC documents showing that for at least past 10 yrs, AEC had repeatedly sought to suppress studies by its own scientists which found reactors are more dangerous than officially acknowledged or raised questions about reactor safety devices; Ray statement is similar to one by L Manning Muntzing, quoted in Times article, that in past 3 yrs AEC has created 'revolutionary openness'; Ray cites some examples of this openness; Daniel Ford, official of Union of Concerned Scientists, disagrees that examples cited prove openness; notes that in 2 instances release of data followed threatened suits under Freedom of Information Act (M)
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Journalism Society Urges Overriding Information Veto
Date: 17 November 1974
Sigma Delta Chi on Nov 16 votes after brief debate to urge Cong to override Pres Ford's veto of amendments to Freedom of Information Act; Ford told soc that if Cong would make a few changes designed to protect certain sensitive documents he would sign such bill
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JUDGE BIDS TV END 'ABUSE' OF POWER; Head of Court That Hears Appeals From F.C.C. Makes Wide Attack
Date: 16 November 1974
By WARREN WEAVER Jr
Warren WEAVER
US Appeals Ct Chief Judge David L Bazelon urges TV indus to stop prostituting medium for profits or risk losing some const protection of freedom of press, speech to Fed Communications Bar Assn; calls on indus leaders to admit 'their abuse of immense power of TV for private profit of few'; questions whether broadcasters are not making it more difficult for judges and attys to insure that traditional guarantees of freedom of press continue to be applied to TV; speech is most outspoken attack on TV by influential Fed official since Newton N Minow, then FCC chmn, called medium 'vast wasteland' in '61; speech detailed (M)
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Study Gives Newark Radio StationsPoorGrade on City New; Small-Portion Allotted Coverage Praised
Date: 17 November 1974
By JOSEPH F. SULLIVANSpecial to The New York Times
Joseph SULLIVANSpecial
Office of Newark Studies, research arm of Rutgers Univ, conducting survey of news coverage of Newark, finds that city's residents are suffering from Tack of coverage of local news; Newark is largest city in US without VHF TV station; has 5 licensed radio stations and 1 met newspaper, which rept says is becoming more suburban and statewide in its orientation; rept finds that NY TV stations do not provide city with adequate coverage; Robert G Ottenhoff, head of survey team, says that survey results show 'wide variation' in quality and quantity of news programming on 5 radio station situated outside city but licensed as Newark outlets by FCC, with news occupying only small percentage of air time; says results show stations devote small amount of news time to local and state events; rept has been fowarded to Newark Mayor Kenneth Gibson; stations surveyed include WFNE, WHBI-FM, WNJR, and WVNJ-AM and FM; further findings noted (M)
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8-Day Asia Trip Will Be Ford's First Major Test in Personal Diplomacy; Limit On U.S. Newsmen
Date: 17 November 1974
Special to The New York TimesBy JOHN HERBERS
Ford's trip to Far East, including Vladivostok visit, discussed; Ford seen trying to establish with Brezhnev kind of rapport Nixon had with him; White House spokesman says USSR has limited to 70 number of Amer newsmen who may accompany Ford to Vladivostok and bars any foreign journalists; Kissinger has been briefing Ford for about 2 hrs daily (M)
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