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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1983)
Oregon daily emerald Emerald Entertainment Supplement Page 1B Wednesday, April 6, 1983 Eugene, Oregon Volume 84, Number 126 Government secrecy Press, public must fight ‘real danger’ By Joan Herman Of th« Emerald Instead of quibbling over lawsuits that divide them, the press and public must work together “in fighting the real danger that threatens us all” — the growing power of government through secrecy, said Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Anthony Lewis Tuesday night. “I am not by nature an alarmist on these mat ters,” Lewis said in a speech to a packed house at the Eugene Conference Center. “But I think there is reason for deep alarm today. Government exercises powers undreamed of by Jefferson, Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt.” A “huge" military force, secret communications service and centralized intelligence system are governmental powers that involve the “near-certainty of abuse" unless the public keeps a check on govern ment’s actions, said Lewis, a New York Times columnist. "The American press is by far the freest in the world,” and must act as a balance to the govern ment’s "lust for power," he said at an earlier Univer sity press conference. Yet the power of the press must not be absolute in every case. Lewis cited several examples in which the freedom of the press infringed upon citizens’ per sonal rights. If citizens’ reputations are irresponsibly slandered by the press, they should have the power to seek retribution, Lewis said. “The press often acts as if it always has to win every dispute, or it will be a terrible blow to the Con stitution. But other people have interests and those interests have to be balanced off those of the press.’’ The “exclusivist arguments” of the press do not help it gain the public acceptance necessary to ac complish its important role in society, Lewis said. As his journalistic motto, Lewis takes the advice of Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, who told the press to recognize that, like other institu tions, it must accommodate a variety of important social interests. If the press consistently neglects this advice, Lewis predicts an increasingly serious division bet ween the press and the public. And these weakened bonds will be detrimental to both groups. “The press does no good for itself when it gives the public the impression that it thinks of itself as operating in arrogant isolation from the rest of society. “And it does no good for the cause of freedom Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Anthony Lewis when it tries to fight the battle against the powers of repression and secrecy on its own, without public collaboration," Lewis said. President Reagan ordered all key national security officials to submit to official clearance for the rest of their lives, whenever they want to write or say anything on national security subjects. This mandate would "drastically inhibit" one of the public’s best checks on the state of national security, Lewis said. Yet when Reagan clamps down information on how the government works, the press doesn’t make much noise, Lewis said. "I think it has its priorities jumbled. Lewis is the 1983 holder of the Wayne Morse Chair of Law and Politics, an endowed professorship honoring the late former U S. senator from Oregon. Student government: A ‘quiet achiever’ By Richard Burr Of the Emerald This is the final part of a three-part series examining student government. Some students may think ASUO governing bodies don’t do anything, but student government is effective, student government officials say. Such is the case with the Student University Affairs Board, says Mike Prothe, a third-year board member. “A lot of what we do is behind the scenes," he says. “You could say SUAB is a quiet achiever," Prothe says. The SUAB members are part of a “co-governance” system the Universi ty created in 1974. The 18 members represent students in the 54-member Faculty Senate and also vote in the University Assembly. r Board members as well as other students also sit on most student faculty committees. SUAB members are required to sit on at least one committee. “Other universities would be willing to pay three times as much for the same situation,” says Alan Contreras, ASUO executive assistant to the presi dent and a four-year participant in stu dent government. SUAB has a $7,494 budget for next year. “The problem is what they do is not a saleable, sexy issue,” Contreras says. The board also works with the University administration and helps with student grievances by staffing the Information and Grievance Center near the EMU Fishbowl Cafeteria. The situation has improved com pared to the SUAB of two years ago, Prothe says. "Two years ago, there was a lot of disillusionment,” he says. “We were really lost, simply.” SUAB has recovered since then. This year the group was instrumental in get ting approval of dead week and gradua tion with honors proposals. But the board still has a problem Keeping members. Seven board members have resigned since last year’s elections, and SUAB has ap pointed replacements. The elected members who resign probably quit because they realize the commitment involved, Prothe says. SUAB members sometimes work as much as 30 hours per week, depending on how involved a member wants to be, he says. The board also lacks year-to-year consistency because members burn out or graduate, Prothe says. While he is aware of SUAB’s need to retain members, Prothe says he doesn't know exactly how to do that. “It seems prone to happen," he says. "We're not as well known as the IFC (Incidental Fee Committee)." Continued on Page 2 Laid Back The sun finally came back, and this stu dent decided to lie down and soak it up. After months of rain, it appears to be time for frisbee, softball and tennis once again. The U.S. Weather Service reported a high of 64 degrees in the Eugene-Springfield area Tuesday, with temperatures expected to reach 65-70 today. Students can expect early morning clouds, followed by afternoon clear ing. The chance of rain is near zero. With the sun out, even the most dedicated bookreader should find it tough to study. However, lest anyone gets too anxious to throw on that bathing suit, rain is in the forecast for the end of the week. Photo by Bob Baker
