DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Student protests, May-December 1971 | 1971-05-08 Des Moines Register Article: ""13 Charged in Disorders"" ICPC Editorial: ""Newsmen's Troubles""

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Student protests, May-December 1971

1971-05-08 Des Moines Register Article: ""13 Charged in Disorders"" ICPC Editorial: ""Newsmen's Troubles""

13 CHARGED IN DISORDERS 
DMR 5/8/71

By a Staff Writer. 

IOWA CITY, IA. - More than 100 law officers arrested 13 persons during disorders here Thursday night. At least seven of those arrested were University of Iowa students. 
Eight persons were charged with unlawful assembly. They were. 
Dan G. Kalopek, a U of I sophomore from Elberon; Betty A. Wood, a junior from Barrington, Ill; Katherine R. Parrott, 19, of Iowa City; Mark D. Larson, 21, a sophomore from Iowa City; David L. Kurt, 34, a graduate student from Iowa City; Richard L. Fryear, 22, a graduate student from Iowa City; William F. Cox, 18, of Iowa City; and Michael Maxwell, 20 of Dubuque. 
Two were charged with resisting execution of process. They were Dennis R. Liming, 20, of Ames; and Lawrence K. McClure, 23, of Greenfield. 
Kent Simon, a U of I sophomore from Evanston, Ill, was charged with larceny over $20 after allegedly attempting to remove a riot helmet from the head of Johnson County Sheriff Maynard Schneider. 
Two persons were charged with intoxication- Steven E. Mayer, a U of I senior from Coralville, and Dean A. Zoerick of Iowa City.
Student leaders reported that at least two volunteer monitors were taken into custody by authorities. Both were released after authorities determined they had been trying to quell the crowds. 

IOWA CITY PRESS-CITIZEN

Editorial Page
Saturday, May 8, 1971 

Newsmen's Troubles

Newsmen, including two Press-Citizen staff members have encountered obstacles from law enforcement officers while working this week covering local disturbances. 
Both Joseph A. Novotny, photographer, who was shoved and struck by a special deputy sheriff Thursday night, and Thomas C. Walsh, reporter, who was arrested and charged early Thursday morning, were doing their jobs. Nothing more, nothing less. 
They were doing their jobs for you as readers of the Press-Citizen, so that you might have as accurate an account of the happenings of those two nights in words and pictures as it's possible to present. The alternatives to the reporting of trained professional newsmen are accounts from participants with the bias and lack of perspective that implies. We believe that you as readers of the Press-Citizen deserve more than that. We know that we as newspapermen serving you owe you more than that.

There are only about three possible explanations for the difficulties encountered by newsmen this week. 
One is that in fact they were conducting themselves in such a way as to warrant, special attention and arrest . We've looked into this as concerns our associates as best we can and are confident that the two Press-Citizen staff members were not. we are certain that if the charge against Walsh ever comes to trial his plea of innocent will be sustained. 
Another possibility is that law enforcement officers are attempting to intimidate newsmen so that they will not, or will not be able to, meet their responsibilities to the public which depends upon them for its knowledge of events. This has implications too grave to be considered briefly. Let us observe only that we don't believe this is the objective of responsible public officials and, even if it were, it wouldn't succeed. 
The third possibility is that of misunderstanding, of the role of the newsman and of how he performs that role. We prefer to believe this is the case with the instances here and that they will not recur.

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13 CHARGED IN DISORDERS DMR 5/8/71 By a Staff Writer. IOWA CITY, IA. - More than 100 law officers arrested 13 persons during disorders here Thursday night. At least seven of those arrested were University of Iowa students. Eight persons were charged with unlawful assembly. They were. Dan G. Kalopek, a U of I sophomore from Elberon; Betty A. Wood, a junior from Barrington, Ill; Katherine R. Parrott, 19, of Iowa City; Mark D. Larson, 21, a sophomore from Iowa City; David L. Kurt, 34, a graduate student from Iowa City; Richard L. Fryear, 22, a graduate student from Iowa City; William F. Cox, 18, of Iowa City; and Michael Maxwell, 20 of Dubuque. Two were charged with resisting execution of process. They were Dennis R. Liming, 20, of Ames; and Lawrence K. McClure, 23, of Greenfield. Kent Simon, a U of I sophomore from Evanston, Ill, was charged with larceny over $20 after allegedly attempting to remove a riot helmet from the head of Johnson County Sheriff Maynard Schneider. Two persons were charged with intoxication- Steven E. Mayer, a U of I senior from Coralville, and Dean A. Zoerick of Iowa City. Student leaders reported that at least two volunteer monitors were taken into custody by authorities. Both were released after authorities determined they had been trying to quell the crowds. IOWA CITY PRESS-CITIZEN Editorial Page Saturday, May 8, 1971 Newsmen's Troubles Newsmen, including two Press-Citizen staff members have encountered obstacles from law enforcement officers while working this week covering local disturbances. Both Joseph A. Novotny, photographer, who was shoved and struck by a special deputy sheriff Thursday night, and Thomas C. Walsh, reporter, who was arrested and charged early Thursday morning, were doing their jobs. Nothing more, nothing less. They were doing their jobs for you as readers of the Press-Citizen, so that you might have as accurate an account of the happenings of those two nights in words and pictures as it's possible to present. The alternatives to the reporting of trained professional newsmen are accounts from participants with the bias and lack of perspective that implies. We believe that you as readers of the Press-Citizen deserve more than that. We know that we as newspapermen serving you owe you more than that. There are only about three possible explanations for the difficulties encountered by newsmen this week. One is that in fact they were conducting themselves in such a way as to warrant, special attention and arrest . We've looked into this as concerns our associates as best we can and are confident that the two Press-Citizen staff members were not. we are certain that if the charge against Walsh ever comes to trial his plea of innocent will be sustained. Another possibility is that law enforcement officers are attempting to intimidate newsmen so that they will not, or will not be able to, meet their responsibilities to the public which depends upon them for its knowledge of events. This has implications too grave to be considered briefly. Let us observe only that we don't believe this is the objective of responsible public officials and, even if it were, it wouldn't succeed. The third possibility is that of misunderstanding, of the role of the newsman and of how he performs that role. We prefer to believe this is the case with the instances here and that they will not recur.