UP FRONT
SUSAN WEINGARDEN
Special to The Jewish News
H
ow far does a journalist go in
saying the public has a right
to know? This is just one of
the sensitive issues facing the media
in their attempt to cover the news,
journalist Daniel Schorr told a De-
troit audience last Friday.
Speaking to a gathering of the B.
Benedict Glazer Institute on
Judaism for Christian clergy at
Temple Beth El, Schorr, senior news
analyst for National Public Radio
and former CBS correspondent,
strayed from his scheduled topic of
terrorism and the media and exam-
ined the moral and ethical dilemmas
facing the media today.
In making moral decisions as a
journalist Schorr said, "There are
things beyond a news report you have
to consider."
Dra*-ing from his 50 years of ex-
perience in broadcast and print jour-
nalism, Schorr said there are three
moral dilemmas as seen by the jour-
nalist:
"The personal dilemma of a prac-
ticing journalist is running into val-
ues in conflict with your own." The
second is the dilemma within the
media as an industry, involving
moral responsibilities to the public.
Schorr said the third and most dif-
ficult dilemma is on the interna-
tional level, involving foreign policy
and the government's position on
hostages and terrorism.
Referring to the recent Iran-
Contra affair and the fate of the hos-
tages held by terrorists, Schorr said,
"I suggest to you the answer to the
dilemma is the willingness to accept
the loss of a few lives. Do we let them
die? I think yes."
But, Schorr added, if the ter-
rorists kill the hostages they lose
their assets. "By offering arms for the
hostages we are creating an incen-
tive to hold the hostages.
"There is a love affair between
television and terrorism," Schorr
said, "It serves them both so well.
(Terrorists) get the publicity, and we
get the ratings."
Schorr said it is difficult for the
press to unmask what it is a part of.
"TV will never stop covering the
news, but we can cover the news
without exploiting it and we can re-
port the news without negotiating
with terrorists."
Schorr agreed that the media
has made terrorism work. He said he
feels the Iranian arms deal origi-
nated because of the platform the
media gave to the relatives of the
hostages.
The media did not know the pro-
found effect the coverage was having
on President Reagan. "His compas-
sion for the hostages and their
families was intermingled with his
concern that the hostage situation
was hurting him politically," he said.
Schorr said it is difficult to know
what words mean to the Reagan Ad-
ministration. "He has a way of saying
Continued on Page 18
Bill Pugliano
Terrorism And TV Journalism:
A Match Made For America
Jennifer Knoll and Kim Bienstock offer up felafel.
S-L's Hebrew Fling Sale
Funds One Senior Class Trip
"The Hebrew Fling" at
Southfield-Lathrup High School last
Friday netted fourth-year Hebrew
students $680 towards a class trip to
Toronto in April.
The students sold donated
felafel, cheeze pizza, chicken soup,
baked goods, salad and taboulee,
popcorn, soft drinks, Jaffa orange
shakes, bagels and cream cheese to
fellow students in front of the school
office.
Teacher Gail Gales said the He-
brew Fling used to be an annual
event, but has not been done for three
or four years. "This group has been
very close," she said, and their trip
will mark their close association
through high school. Gales will
chaperone.
The students include Kim
Bienstock, Robert Bloomberg, Brian
Goldman, Gina Grosberg, Rachel
Karp, Mitchell Klausner, Jennifer
Knoll, Seth Meisler, Steve Mendel-
son, Jeffrey Sudakin, Larry Tepman
and Brian Zimberg.
ROUND UP
Committee Acts
Against Kahane
Tel Aviv (JTA) — The Knes-
set house committee voted
unanimously Tuesday to re-
voke the franking privileges of
Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader of
the extremist Kach party and
its sole Knesset member.
The committee acted on the
request of Communications
Minister Amnon Rubinstein
who cited many complaints
that Kahane was using his free
mailing privilege to dissemi-
nate racist propaganda and in-
timidate Israeli Arabs.
The decision has to be con-
firmed by the Knesset plenum.
it is expected to be endorsed by
an overwhelming majority.
But Kahane told the commit-
tee Monday that he would con-
tinue his mailings at Kach
Party expense if his franking
privilege was withdrawn.
A sample of Kahane's mail
shown to the committee was a
warning to Arabs that "If you
wish to remain in this country
you must give up your Israeli
citizenship and any hope of
equality with Jews."
Shamir Visits
Washington
Washington (JTA) — The
Reagan Administration tried
to persuade Israeli Premier
Yitzhak Shamir, visiting
Washington this week, to con-
sider an international confer-
ence if it would lead to direct
negotiations.
Shamir said last Thursday
in Israel that he would try to
dissuade the U.S. from consid-
ering an international confer-
ence, a position in which he dif-
fers with Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres.
Shamir met with Secretary
of State George Shultz shortly
after his arrival and then held
a second meeting with Shultz
on Tuesday. He had a break-
fast meeting with Shultz Wed-
nesday before going to the
White House for a meeting and
working lunch with President
Reagan.
A U.S. official said topics of
discussions during Shamir's
three-day visit here included
U.S.-Israel relations, the peace
process, the Israeli economy,
Soviet Jewry and interna-
tional terrorism.
The Iran arms deal and the
case of Jonathan Pollard, the
former civilian Navy employee
who has confessed to spying for
Israel, are expected to come up,
but will "not be an important
focus of the discussions," the of-
ficial stressed.
Norway May
Ask For Probe
New York (JTA) — Informa-
tion provided by Mordechai
Vanunu to the Sunday Times
of London may prompt a re-
quest from the government of
Norway to Israel to allow the
international Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) to inspect nu-
clear materials Norway sold to
Israel, the Wall Street Journal
reported Tuesday.
Knut Frydenlund, Norwe-
gian foreign minister, said
Norway will request an inspec-
tion of 20 metric tons of heavy
water which Norway sold to Is-
rael in 1959 to determine if the
water is used to produce
plutonium, one of the main
components of nuclear
weapons. Israel pledged to use
the heavy water for peaceful
purposes when it purchased
the material.
But information provided by
Vanunu, who is now in prison
awaiting trial in Israel, indi-
cated that Israel uses large
quantities of heavy water in
the Dimona reactor to produce
plutonium.
Israel submitted to a similar
IAEA inspection of heavy
water which Israel acquired
from the U.S. under similar
terms, the Journal reported.
The IAEA said the water is
stored near Tel Aviv in a re-
search center.
AJC Protests
Discrimination
New York — The American
Jewish Committee has joined a
group of women's organiza-
tions in a brief to the U.S. Sup-
reme Court in what a Commit-
tee spokesman has termed "an
act of solidarity before the na-
tion's highest court to strike
down barriers to women in pri-
vate clubs."
The specific issue before the
court is whether a California
law against sex discrimination
can be used to prevent Rotary
International from revoking
the charter of the Rotary Club
of Duarte, Calif. because that
club has admitted women as
members.
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