The Huron Expositor, 1978-11-16, Page 7•
Seaforth Optimist
Budding
Sat. Nov. 18th
1-5 p.m;
Bake Sale, Flowering plants,
hanging /baskets, green .plants.
Wood for sale by 1/2 ton truck
load. Proceeds for Park Improve-
ment.
Lions
Bingo -
.Every
Saturday
at 'Myth
Momorial Hall
8 p.m.
12 reg. - 10 each
3 share the wealth
$150 jackpot 60 calla
eery Sat. at 8 p.m.
The Family
of
BILL & LENA
BOYD
Wish to invite their
neighbours, friends and
relatives to share in the
celebration of their
parents
50th WEDDING
ANNIVERSARY
on Friday evening
Nov. 24th
Seaforth Legion Hall
9-1
Music by Ian Wilbee's
Orchestra
Best Wishes Only
THE SEAMAN AND THE CAPTAIN'S
DAUGHER Ruth McCreigtit of Dublin, who
plays Josephine, the. captain's daughter and
Roger Hiempel,' of Mitchell; who plays able
seaman Ralph Backstraw in Mitchell District
High School's production of H.M.S. Pinafore,,
practising their roles on the: lawn of the school. ,
(Expositor Photo)
Queens
Hotel
Sea forth
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write it, include your name, address & teletkhone ntiober., yeij are
one of the chosen five, you will receive FREE a lorge.pine of;
your choice and your ad, will be used in the Huron I NOtThitor•
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FRI.-SAT. 7:00 & 9:00 NOV. 17th-NOV. 23rd
SUN.-THURS. 8:00 p.m. SATURDAY MATINEE
NOV. 18t11,1:30 p:m.
ION
0T:ES :UAO Program,
subiect
:1400TtbNE ocha0:
GODERICH
erendipity
by Alice
Giving
op,
newspopersq:
1'
bad' .ncim
NOW newspaper people have the reputation of being a
pretty hard-hearted, cynical lot,, particularly the daily
newspaper breed, •but let's face it, we do have our
sentimental moments too. 'If there's one man who can
always make my heart beat a little faster .it's Lou Grant,
television's gruff but warmhearted city editor vho rules
the Los Angeles Tribune newsroom with an iron hand.
While I've always admired Mr. Grant, I couldn't quite
take the man seriously when he captained the television
newsroom in Milwaukee. I mean, television is . such a
superficial medium, why almost anyone can report
'television news. But then Lou Grant saw the light, realized
the print medium-was still the true source of all knowledge,
and returned to the wonderful world of newspaper
journalism. While there is another very fictionalized show
called The AmericanGirls which purports to tell the story
of television news journalism, the Lou Grant Show
Seemed to me to come the closest to capturing the world of
journalism. Mind you, we at the Expositor don't work on
quite the grand scale they do at the Los Angeles. Tribune,
but I like to believe we could.
Unfortunately, recently .1 discOvered Lou Grant has feet
of clay. My hero, instead „of being a newspaper editor of
mythic proportions is human after all - he makes mistakes!
Last week, for example, Mr. Grant • broke one of the
cardinal rules of journalism and it may set we poor
reporters back 20 years. •
Quite simply, Mr. Grant had assigned his two star
reporters to investigate the case of an aging but revered
judge in the criminal courts Who- was, quite frankly, past
his prime.
In the middle of testimony by star witnesses, the judge
tended to close his eyes and 'drift off to who knows where:
Or if he managed to stay awake he was given to making,
caustic' comments to the jury in the middle of a witness'
testimony or else he would make comic grimaces which.
seriously jeopaidized the defence lawyer's credibility. All
in all, the judge was quite obviously over the hill, but
wasn't giving any evidence that he was considering
retiring gracefully to the sidelines.
The Crusader
Mr, Grant, ever the ctusader, assigned his reporters to
find someone who would say on the record and for
'publication that it was clear the judge was past sitting on
the bench and presiding over fair and just trials.
It was at this point thatMr, Grant made his mistake,
Now one of the cardinal rules for all aspiring journalists
is that you never, even on point of death or torture, show
the person you've interviewed the story you've written
before it appears in print. Although it may seem unfair
from the point of view,-Of the .person doing the talking,
reporters have learned-people have a tendency to retract
statements they've made when-they see them in print: So,
the general rule is, unless a story contains some highly
technical material which nitist be completely accurate
before it goes in print, then the only people to.-see a story
before it's published are the reporter and the editor.
But Lou Grant, in a moment of weakness, not only told
the aging judge what the paper was planning to do: but
met him in front of the courthouse and graciously waited
while the judge read the story criticizing his performance
on the bench.
My heart sank -now as a television journalist, Mr. Grant
would never have done that. But, in the fictional, romantic- .
world of a television series, everything worked out
perfectly in the end'. The judge, after reading the article,
agreed it was time he retired and took up fishing. With the
Tribune's deadline in mind, he thoughtfully resigned and
Lou Grant killed the story of the judge's misdoings.
To a halt
I shuddered - what if everyone I talk to in the future ,
asks to read the story before we print it? Imagine the great
wheels of the newspaper' world, grinding to a halt.
But this whole business of newspaper ethics is a
complicated one as I discovered when I took a course with •
the impressive title of Journalism and Society, taught by
William Heine, editor of the London Free .Press.
' Now the ethics part of our course consisted of Mr. Keine
presenting us with a situation he had actually encountered
in his day-to-day routine at the paper. Our job was to
reason the situation through and come up with the solution
which was ethically correct according to the unwritten
newspaper ,cede,
One of the first situations Mr. Heine presented involved
a want ad submitted to the classified department. A man
had written in reqbesting an advertisement something
lilke this: Widower with three. children wants woman, with
or without children, 'to live• in his home and assume
housekeeping dutibs.
At this point, papers weren't publishing the it ' lovelorn"
type of ad and Mr.ileine was on the point of ruling this id
sheuld be rejected as being somewhat shady in intent, But
he, or someone in the advertising department, contacted
the widower instead, found he 'did need a woman° to look
afater his three young children, and lhat his intontions
were strictly honorable. Mr. Heine said yes. the
advertisement would be published. In my written
summation, I had or gued vehemently that the
advertisement should definitely be rejected. Qb'viously if
they wouldn't accept other ads from "single, lonely men
and women" then they shouldn't accept this ad either, but
Mr. Heine was obviously of a more sympathetic nature.
Shoplifting
A second situation revolved around' a mother wile had
been arrested for shoplifting a small item, Valued at under
$2. The woman, struggling to make ends meet with a large
family, was working. at a job where she couldn't have a
criminal record.
When her case came to court, the woman was convicted
and given a suspended sentence.
, A relative of the woman carne-to the papeyand-pleaded
that the court reporter be asked to .delete'llie woman's
name and her sentence from his report. If the information
about the case, fairly minor in dollars and cents terms
were publighed, the mother would lose her job.
But, like Lou Grant, I was wrong.
Mr: Heine's decision-• print the story! The reasoning
was quite simple (at least to Mr. Heine). The woman had
committed a crime. The consequences of the crime were
'known to her beforehand. Newspaper joUrnalists wouldn't
withold stories from the courts no matter what the results
to the individuals involved.
Fortunately, by the time it came around to our final
examination, I had managed to think along approximately
the same lines' as our instructor.
Now, I wonder if that softhearted Lour Grant would be
interested in sitting in on a few classes? Before he gives
we reporters a bad name!
C.
This cast, seemed instantly apparent to me. I, in Mr.
Heine's shoe's, would have simply, deleted the story from
the court report. After all, "as the want ad, case proved,
humanity should sometimes triumph over the hard-headed
demands of journalism.
1
8 tHE HURON •EXPOSIlOR, NOVEM
•
8.ER 18 .1978
Mr. and Mrs. John Nottingham, Ladner B.C., formerly
of the Constance area visited with Mr. & Mrs. Lorne
Lawson recently and other friends, in Seaforth.
Mr. & Mrs. Lorne Lawson visited Mr. & Mrs. Harry
Boag,, Newmarket, Mr. & Mrs. Terry Boag,Markham on
the week-end.
Mr.& Mrs. James C. Forrest of Tuxford, Sask, were
recent visitors with Mr. & Mrs. James-M. Scott.
Mr. & Mrs. Bill Scott, and Mr. & Mrs. J. M. Scott
attended the 2$thr Annual Convention of the Ontario
Hatchery Association. in Toronto, this past week. Bill has
been the President for the 1977-78 term.
Mr. L. R. Hudson, of Toronto, spent several days last
week with his sister, Mts. W. Coleman, & Mr. Coleman,
visiting other friends in the vicinity.
Attending the Annual Ontario Hospital A'ssociation „
Convention in Toronto last week from Seaforth Community
Hospital were: Gordon McKenzie, administrator, and his
wife Gail; Donald Kernighan, Assistant Administrator;
Mrs. Emma Friend of Dublin , board member; •Mrs.
Shirley Ring, director of Nursing; Mrs. Yvette Binnendyk,
pharmacy department; John Westcott, physiothe ist-
Donald Bode, purchasing agent; and Mrs. Ida Di 1,' head,
housekeeper.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Brown, Jarvis Street' h,
visited in Toronto last week with Mr. and rs.' Jim
Wallace from Stranraer, Scotland, cousins of Mr. Brown,
who were in Canada and the United States with a group of
r .r e • r
FAMILY .& CHILDREN'S SERVICES
Request Your Support
For Its
'CHRIST MA S" :BUREAU
• gifts New A. .Nearly New
Toys and Clothing
IQ"
May be Left in ' the
, Second Floor of the Town Hall 4111
[Formerly Brownie Boom] •xl),
December 48 ..Ei•itween 1 pat. and 3:30 p.m.
There is special need for
CLOTHING FOR 'TEENAGER .. • ti
this year ,
income tax receiOts 'espied for all financial donailons
Reg. No. 1)164192 -01 1.15
• '
• .'
•
' James Murphy, -artistic
managing director of the
Huron Country Playhouse;
'announced his intention to
resign at the conclusion of
thueoming Summer Season,
• Bill Amos, Chairthan of
the Board of Trustees for the
RoyhOuse; acceptec,i the
resignation with regret at its
year end meeting on October
30,1978. •
James Murphy, who along
with. Bill Heinsohn, founded—
' the Playhouse in pm, has
served as artistic and mana-
ging director since-that time.
Mr. Heinsohn served as
executive producer for three-
seasons and has remained
active in the board of trus-
tees since that time.
The Playhouse started ,in
1972 as a small tent opera-
tion and Juts developed
into 017 largest 'summer
--theatre--of its type in the,
Province, with the physical
assets, valued at $350,000
and •an annual .• operating
budget in the area Of
$250,000. The 41978 season
achieved an 80 percent capa-
city with a.$30,000 increase
in ;ticket Sales over the
previous season.
James Murphy told the
Board he was leaving the
Playhouse for personal
reasons. He said he has
enloyed fills seven years of
"complete and total involve-.
!pent" with ,the Playhouse
Murphy
teavet
' USE
EXPOSITOR
WANT - ADS '
Phone 527-0240
rid Bend theatre
and loom tOrvliAt4 tO the 1979 announce shortly afier the season he hopes' to Ne* Year.. '
40 from their area, who were on a curling tour. While in
Toronto they •visited the Royal Winter Fair. Mr. Wallis is a
prominent cattle 'and sheep breeder in Scotland.
Sunday visitors with Rev, and Mrs. J. Ure Stewart were
the former's son., Dr. K.G. and Mrs. 'Stewart, Waterloo.
Recent visitorswith Rev. and Mrs. Stewart' were Mr.
and Mrs. Alvin Morris, Uniondale and Mr. apdlirs. Lloyd
Walden, Blyth.
' Rev. J. and Mrs. Stewartre Sunday visitors with the
latter's sister Mrs. Laurence Cassidy- of Ingersoll.
Mr. and Mrs. William Brown, Jarvis Street, Mr. and •Mrs.-Don
Carter, Joanne, Janice, Bradley and Julie, Mr. and Mrs. William
Brown and Andrea, Guelph, visited with Mrs. Henry J. Neeb at
the home of Mr. •and Mrs. Walter Vogt, Tavistock last Sunday.
The occasion was. Mrs. Neeb's 92nd 4biithday.
•
2-4 p.m.
At St. James Auditorium
of Stoneware pottery-'by
Addy ItelePhee and Robert
Tent:- 1 day only, Sunday,
November 19 Noon-6 p.m.
Wine „and• cheese will be
served.
2 V2 Miles Korth
of St. to'himban.
People
itt .4241, :r4
.7*