Newspaper Page Text
4
MAY, 1967
The Panther
The Press and Courtroom
by Barnett A. Jackson
The rights of a free press frequently conflict with the right
of a fair trial, Atlanta Constitution Columnist Bruce Galphin told
the Social Science Club and other students last month at Howe Hall.
Noting that Amendment I (“Congress shall make no law . . .
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press”) and Amendment
VI (“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right
to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury. . .”) constantly
conflict, Mr. Galphin denounced those who refuse to admit this
confilct, contended that justice would have precedence when they
clashed, and recommended that the United States adopt the
British System, or adhere, at least in part, to the advice of the
American Bar Association.
For those who say there is “no basic incompatibility” or “no
conflict” between free press and fair trial, Mr. Galphin said: “Those
who seek to allay the public with such a contention do a disservice
to American Freedom.” The two rights frequently conflict, he
declared. It is the role of justice to weigh the argument and
discover which has precedence over the other, he continued.
Mr. Galphin cited the Leo Frank Case of 1910 as a clash of
the two rights. Frank, a Jewish official in a pencil factory, was
charged with the murder of a teenage girl found dead in the base
ment of his factory. While mobs yelled “Convict Frank” in the
street during the trial, in the hearing of the court, the state press,
Tom Watson’s newspaper, the anti-Semitic Jeffersonian, helped
convict Frank. Moreover, people were prejudiced against Jews.
Frank was tried in Marietta, Ga.
He also cited the Sam Sheppard case. Dr. Sheppard, accused
of killing his wife, was convicted by the press of Cleveland, Ohio
before the trial, said Mr. Galphin. Therefore, he was granted a
new trial and acquitted, because the judge deemed the press had
influenced the verdict.
In a more recent trial, the case of Richard Speck, recently
convicted of the murder of eight nurses, the judge was aware of
the possibility of a conflict of the two rights; therefore, he con
ducted the trial under such restraint that Speck’s rights as guar
anteed by the Constitution were violated, Galphin said. The judge
was “very strict” in his court decorum and allowed only certain
information to leave the courtroom, Mr. Galphin said. Noting
that Speck received the death penalty, Mr. Galphin said he op
poses it in all cases.
Mr. Galphin blamed the press for unfair coverage of news
stories, but also defended the press by saying that such practice
was not deliberate but rather the reporting of prejudiced state
ments. However, it is good for the press to be free to question
judicial procedure and decisions, he declared. Too much restraint
on news media would limit the freedom of the press. He recalled
that persistent press coverage brought to trial Thomas L. Coleman,
a Hayneville, Ala., part-time deputy sheriff accused of killing
Jonathan Daniels, a white Episcopalian seminarian.
But, between the arrest of the suspect and the trial of the
suspect, the prosecutor and the police have the advantage of
charges and statemenes in the press, Galphin said. A case in
point is New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garirson, who an
nounced flatly that Oswald was not alone in the Kennedy assas
sination, that Oswald did not pull the trigger. Garrison stated,
“I have solved the case” even before he met the key witness,
David Ferrie, the columnist recalled, and when Ferrie, died,
medical reports recorded his death as natural while Garrison
called it suicide. Galphin said that the publication of such in
formation can give the court ground to rule it inadmissible and
therefore not for the ears of jurors.
As a solution to the conflict of free press and fair trial, Mr.
Galphin made two propositions. The first was to use the British
System, under which the news media may report commission of
crime and facts of arrest, but not information about the character
or past record of the offender. Such a system tends to weaken
and emasculate the guarantee of free press, he said. The second,
recommendations of the American Bar Association, would limit
the scope of information printed by the press. The ABA recom
mends that the prosecuting attorney, the defending lawyers, and
the court be barred from releasing the offender’s record and in
formation about his character. It also recommends that such in
formation as test data, identity and testimony, credibility of wit
nesses, and guilty pleas be barred from the press, and proposes
that preliminary hearings be private, with the public excluded.
Also there would be no publication of information during the
trial; a record would be kept and made available to the press
after the trial.
Though the nwespapers oppos the ABA recommendations
on the ground that they bar the reporting of factual information,
Mr. Galphin predicted, “The press will have to give ground a
little bit.”
The press needs a stronger professional society which can
discipline itself, as the lawyers and doctors do, he concluded.
Congratulations!
SENIORS
New Buildings on
Ga. State Campus
Atlanta, Ga.—(I.P.)—The
Georgia State College of the
future, as projected in the mas
ter plan by Robert and Co.
Associates, will be a multi-level
campus of tree-shaded plazas
and pedestrian boulevards above
the noise of city traffic.
Approved in concept by the
State Board of Regents, the pur
pose of the master campus plan
is to “encourage and make pos
sible a unified and homogenous
character” in the design of the
future campus. The campus will
encompass 60 acres of down
town property and with build
ing will cost a total of $96,-
150,946.
President Noah Langdale de
scribed the purpose of the plaza
design in the foreward to the
prospectus issued by Robert
and Co. “Early consideration
was given to the conservation
of space by programming a
multi-platform complex.
“These ‘plazas’ will serve to
protect pedestrians from dan
gerous street crossings, as ver
tical movement devices to upper
and lower stories, as congrega
tional points for social groups,
and will permit the flow of light
and air above broad expanses of
highly urbanized construction.
A principle of unity of construc
tion is thus carried between and
among all existing and planned
buildings.
“Vehicle parking is the limit
ing factor to the growth of the
Georgia State College, and the
multi-levels serve the purpose of
solving this problem.”
The prospectus states that,
“In general, outdoor pedestrian
areas will be located on the
campus plaza . . . landscaped
malls will connect plazas, courts,
quadrangles and small gardens.
The plaza and garden areas will
feature sculptures, murals, foun
tains and pools. Sidewalk cafes
may grace the future plazas.
The first plaza has already
been designed and is in the plans
of the new general classroom
building scheduled to begin con
struction this spring.
The campus will act as a con
necting link between the ex
panding government center to
the south and the major busi
ness, financial and shopping dis
tricts to the west. Not only will
the trained brain power of the
College be available to serve
these functional centers but the
physical development of the
campus offers unusual oppor
tunities for enhancing them and
could serve as a catalyst for
creating a master plan for the
entire central city area.
Georgia Press Reprints
Dr. Brookes' Book
The University of Georgia
Press, Athens, Georgia, has an
nounced a reprint of the book,
Joel Chandler Harris: Folklorist
by Stella Brewer Brookes, to be
released, April, 1967.
Dr. Brookes, Chairman of the
English Department at Clark
College has also written the
Harris sketch for Encyclopaedia
Britannica for the 1957 and sub
sequent editions. The Editors of
Encyclopaedia Britannica pre
sented her a citation welcoming
her to its “distinguished con
tributors throughout the world.”
Clark College SNED Observes
Teaching Career Month
Pictured from left to right are Dr. Brookes, Dr. Dennis, Miss Cureton, Dr. Killings-
worth and Mrs. Carver who received the plaque for her ill husband.
Teaching Career Month was established by the National Edu
cation Association in 1958 to focus public attention on the im
portance of teaching as a career and the need to select, prepare,
and retain the best possible teachers for America’s schools and
colleges. During the last two observances, the primary focus has
been on the challenges and
achievements of teachers and of
the profession as both undergo
significant changes to keep pace
with the new demands of mod
ern society. At the local level,
the most popular activities
which are usually scheduled
throughout the month of April
are programs honoring retiring
teachers, FTA and student
SNEA sponsors, teachers with
long and faithful service, and
retired teachers.
On April 23, 1967, the Clark
College SNEA Chapter joined
groups throughout the nation
by paying tribute to faculty
members who had served Clark
College 25 years or more. The
honorees were as follows: Doc
tor Stella B. Brookes, Doctor
Joseph J. Dennis, Mrs. Sarah
H. Cureton, Doctor J. deKoven
Killengsworth, and Mr. Way-
man Carver. Students in the
department paid tributes to the
honorees who were also their
major advisors.
Excerpts from their presenta
tions follow:
Jerrilyn McGhee: Dr. Stella
Brookes, Chairman,
Department of English
Dr. Stella Brewer Brookes is
Clark’s senior professor. For
forty-three years she has given
services to this college. She is
recognized as the foremost
scholar on the works of Joel
Chandler Harris. The Univer
sity of Georgia Press which
published her book, Joel Chan
dler Harris: Folklorist, in 1950,
is releasing the second printing
of the book in April, 1967. She
also wrote the Harris sketch for
Encyclopedia Britanica in the
1957 and subsequent editions.
She contributed the introduction
to Uncle Remus Tales, pub
lished by Schocken Books,
(1965).
Five Who’s Who and the Di
rectory of American Scholars
list the erudite scholar, Dr.
Stella B. Brookes.
She has endeared herself to
generations of Clarkites who
hold her in deepest respect and
admiration as the editors of the
1953 Clark College Yearbook
so aptly expressed it, “Beyond
the scholarship and authorship,
however, is the woman-devoted
to duty, sincere in friendship,
high in integrity—with a rare
capacity for instructing and in
spiring the young people with
whom she comes in contact.”
Dallas Wingo: Dr. J. J. Dennis,
Chairman, Department of
Mathematics
In seeking an ideal teacher,
the students sketched a profile
of Dr. Joseph Dennis. He is a
man of many parts. His con
tributions to the advancement
of the Department of Mathe
matics and of Clark College is
unquestioned. It has been his
hope to inspire in us math stu
dents an interest in independent
study. He is a homespun pro
fessional. In his classes, he lets
us do the talking, and you know
it works! He does not impress
us with his knowledge, but we
know it’s there. He has an in
terest in us. He makes us feel
that we are individuals. We
know at one that he believes
in each of us.
We salute him on this oc
casion and extend to him every
good wish for continued educa
tional service in the future.
Mary Stansel:
Mrs. Sara Cureton, Associate
Professor, Department of
Foreign Languages
A scholar, a professor, a lec
turer, a polyglot, an orator, a
mother, these are but a few of
the many names that adequately
describe Mrs. Sara Cureton.
Clark College was fortunate
in 1931, 36 years ago to have
the promising energetic and en
thusiastic erudite, Mrs. Cureton
join the faculty. She has given
36 years of untiring and relent
less service to our institution.
An added noteworthy achieve
ment of hers was the founding,
at Clark College, the first mod
ern language laboratory in the
Southeast.
She has not only done ex
tensive studying at both leading
Universities in the United
States and abroad, but she has
also traveled widely through the
U. S., Europe, Canada, Mexica
and Cuba. She has been to
Europe four times in the com
pany of her late husband and
spent three months traveling
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