Ever since Vice President Agnew criticized liberal TV commentators and newspapers, U.S. journalists have been on the defensive. A political writer for a major West Coast paper said last month: "Buried in our subconscious is the thought 'Be goddam careful. Don't start a beef.' "
Potentially, a more serious problem between the Administration and the press arose from the Justice Department's growing tendency to search among newsmen's private material for possible trial evidence (TIME, Feb. 9). Last week, after mounting indignation from the news media, the Administration decided that some of its more eager officials had gone too far. Sounding slightly embarrassed,...
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