(3 of 3)
The role of the press is also being questioned. Fairness was sacrificed to the need to match the competition. If a publication holds back a story while a competitor prints it, says Washington Post National Editor William Grieder, "all you are going to do is leave egg all over your face. If we'd had a firm notice that this was our call alone, I'd have pondered the question more."
The determination of the FBI to tackle organized crime and political corruption—activities immensely destructive of our national ethics—can only be applauded. The more convictions the better; the more politicians too scared to take bribes the better.
For too long, organized crime figures and their political henchmen have operated as if the criminal justice system were meant to serve them and not the public. Stings are understandably a vital part of the crackdown. But that is all the more reason for the FBI to proceed with utmost caution and with deepest regard for due process. Only by so doing will its cases hold up in court—and in the court of public opinion.
—Edwin Warner