○  spiro theodore agnew: television news coverage  ○

graph. "networks," he stated "which are few in number have a virtual monopoly of a whole media of communications." the newspaper of mass circulation have no monopoly on the medium of print.

now a virtual monopoly of a whole medium of communication is not something that democratic people should blindly ignore. and we are not going to cut off our television sets and listen to the phonograph just because the airways belong to the networks. they don’t. they belong to the people. as justice byron wrote in his landmark opinion six months ago, "it’s the right of the viewers and listeners, not the right of the broadcasters, which is paramount."

now it’s argued that this power presents no danger in the hands of those who have used it responsibly. but as to whether or not the networks have abused the power they enjoy, let us call as our first witness, former vice president humphrey and the city of chicago. according to theodore white, television’s intercutting of the film from the streets of chicago with the "current proceedings on the floor of the convention created the most striking and false political picture of 1968 -- the nomination of a man for the american presidency by the brutality and violence of merciless police."

if we are to believe a recent report of the house of representative commerce committee, then television’s presentation of the violence in the streets worked an injustice on the reputation of the chicago police. according to the committee findings, one network in particular presented, and i quote, “a one-sided picture which in large measure exonerates the demonstrators and protestors.” film of provocations of police that was available never saw the light of day, while the film of a police response which the protestors provoked was shown to millions.

another network showed virtually the same scene of violence from three separate angles without making clear it was the same scene. and, while the full report is retic

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