-~0t*90”‘~c.~'0”m.‘”*«”‘” I ABORTION REFORM: AN ANALYSIS or - THE REPORTAGE ARR Emmm . » INTERPRETATIONOR‘ [5:20ng ._ _ _.;_,_.:._. BY THREE MICHIGAN om NEWSPAPERS -; e , -_ m. THE GENERAL ELECTION 0F1972 - ~ Thesis for the Degree of M. At. MICHIGAN STATE UN'IVERSlTY RITA MARIE BRUNING 19,73 ''''''''''''' R171 WWI HHWWMW LIB,“ State 1293 00836 9245 ‘ chhxgan . Umvcrsxty ABSTRACT ABORTION REFORM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE REPORTAGE AND EDITORIAL INTERPRETATION OF PROPOSAL B BY THREE MICHIGAN DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN THE GENERAL ELECTION OF 1972 BY Rita Marie Bruning This study is an investigation of how the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, and the Lansing State Journal covered news of the abortion reform issue before the people voted on Proposal B in the general election of November 7, 1972. On the ballot Proposal B was a Proposal To Allow Abortion Under Certain Conditions. The proposed law.would allow a licensed medical or osteopathic physician to perform an abortion at the request of the patient, if (1) the period of gestation has not exceeded 20 weeks, and (2) if the procedure is performed in a licensed hospital or other facility approved by the Department of Public Health. Should this proposed law be approved? Microfilmed copies of the final city edition of each newspaper from October l-November 7, 1972 were read in the State Library of Michigan. The daily and Sunday issues of each newspaper were examined and when a story was found it was checked for the date, page number, story Rita Marie Bruning position, story length, and exact headlines. Photographs, their size and play, of proponents and Opponents of the abortion law reform issue were also taken into account. Finally, the editorial preference of each newspaper was analyzed to present a complete picture of each paper's total campaign coverage. Although story length is relied upon most heavily in analyzing the performance of each newspaper, the total number of stories allotted to each side of the issue, the headlines assigned to each story, and the story content are also considered. The Detroit Free Press is the only daily morning paper. The Detroit News and the Lansing State Journal are daily afternoon papers. It was found that two newspapers included in this study editorially supported Proposal B. The third news- paper took no editorial stand on the abortion law reform issue. One of these newspapers, the Detroit Free Press did not, however, allow editorial support for abortion re— form to influence its news coverage. The Detroit News appeared to let its preference for abortion law reform slightly influence its news coverage. The Lansing State Journal published a dispr0portionate account of the abortion reform controversy. Not only did the §EEEE Journal allow the anti-abortion group an advantage of all Rita Marie Bruning the newspapers studied in terms of column-inches (anti- abortion supporters received 176 1/2 more column-inches of space than pro-abortion reform supporters), but the newspaper virtually ignored the pro-abortion reform side of the issue throughout the campaign. It was found that the Detroit newspapers relied primarily on their own staff writers to cover the abortion issue. The Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News used two wire-service stories each. The Lansing State Journal used nine wire-service stories to cover the abortion law reform controversy. ABORTION REFORM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE REPORTAGE AND EDITORIAL INTERPRETATION OF PROPOSAL B BY THREE MICHIGAN DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN THE GENERAL ELECTION OF 1972 BY Rita Marie Bruning A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS School of Journalism 1973 Accepted by the faculty of the School of Journalism, College of Communication Arts, Michigan State University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts degree. Director of Thesis DEDICATION To My Father ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My thanks to Dr. W. Cameron Meyers, whose kindness and patience helped me time after time to complete this thesis. My thanks go also to my mother, for her faith in me- and especially to Gary, who consistently helped me in I so many important ways toward the completion of this thesis. iii TABLE OF DEDICATION . . . . . . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . Chapter I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . II. DETROIT FREE PRESS . . III. DETROIT NEWS . . . . . IV. LANSING STATE JOURNAL V. CONCLUSION . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . iv CONTENTS Page 0 O O O O O O O O O 0 ll 0 O O O O O O I O O 0 iii 0 O O O O O O O O O O l . .“ {t‘ CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Where the press is free and every man able to read all is safe. --Thomas Jefferson The Declaration of Independence states that it is self-evident that liberty is an inalienable right that men are endowed with by their Creator. The history of liberty is a record of reluctance of different govern- ments to concede citizens the right to think, to write, or to speak for themselves. Today, in the United States, there is the Bill of Rights of the Constitution to guaran- tee men these freedoms. Some of the episodes that led to the establishment of the principles of American liberty occurred in the United States, others in England and on the EuroPean continent. Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the republic and the chief architect of the First Amend- ment of the Constitution, believed that the press contained two major principles; the essential nature of the press's service to the democratic system, and the necessity of its freedom in order to perform that work. Jefferson be- lieved that man was more important than the government, that man could get along with a minimum of government if he was enlightened and informed. This philosophy is clear in his often-quoted statement, ". . . were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should 1 Jefferson believed not hesitate to prefer the latter." whether there was a government or not, once the people understood the facts, they would know what to do about them. An appropriate question today, that was then asked of Jefferson, is how should a newspaper be conducted to be most helpful to the citizenry. Jefferson saw the solu- tion as "restraining it to true facts and sound principles 2 But there would be few subscribers to that kind only." of newspaper. The satisfaction of the consumer's needs and wants is what helps to make a profit and the consumer has a choice of which newspaper he will buy. An Open market is part of the free enterprise system, and making a profit is success in business. American history tells us how well Jefferson stated his principles about a free press; and in England another man, John Milton, a poet, also fought for a press 1Frank L. Mott, Jefferson and the Press (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1943), p. 8. 2Thomas Jefferson, The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, ed. by Julian P. Boyd (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Uni- versity Press, 1955), p. 49. unfettered by government. In his Areopagitica, a speech by Milton, the English writer pleaded before the Parlia- ment of England to allow men to speak freely. The Areopagitica was directed against a law passed in 1643 for control of the press Inn: it was not until 1694 that 3 "If the licensing disappeared from English legislation. preachers in Parliament had been a little less contemp- tuous of the rights of British subjects to state their own opinions, and if John Milton had been a little more inclined to accept, without defiance, the imperious com- mands of the Scottish preachers, the recognition of the rights of Englishmen 11> uncensored publication of their thoughts might have had to await some other suitable 4 occasion." The "basic principle of the Areopagitica was the right and also the duty of every intelligent man, as a rational being, to know the grounds and to take the responsibility for his beliefs and his actions."5 Milton believed decisions were best reached by Open discussions, in which information is not contaminated by authority. These were elements of individual liberty and a free society. 3George H. Sabine, ed., Areopagitica and Of Educa- tion (New York: Appleton Century Crofts, 1951), p. ix. THe text of the Areopagitica was published Nov. 25, 1644. 4William L. Chenery, Freedom of the Press (New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1955Y} p. 92. 5Sabine, ed., Areopagitica, p. ix. By the late seventeenth century in Great Britain and in the American colonies, truth no longer was regarded as the property of power. The press was no longer an instrument of government but a partner with the people in search for truth. Thomas Jefferson's strong feelings toward the public good led him to labor for the Bill of {—3i Rights. The first Congress at its first session in the l ” city of New York, September 24, 1789, submitted to the ‘ states twelve proposed amendments to the Constitution. ;Ji Ten amendments were actually ratified by the states and * became known as the Bill of Rights. In 1791, the First Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, stating that Congress shall make no law respecting an establish- ment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the people peaceable to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Jefferson and his associates believed that self-government ”M, with freedom for all and toleration of differences where argument and persuasion could not bring about unanimity, was the only possible course for Americans. The First Amendment to the Constitution made no demand that pub- lishers accept responsibility in return for press freedom. "Chiefly of their own accord, publishers began to link responsibility with freedom."6 This responsibility should make editors free of political parties but not of principles. 6Theodore Peterson, Jay W. Jensen, and William L. Rivers, The Mass Media and Modern Society (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965), p. 110. Democratic government places heavy responsibilities on both citizen and the press. It assumes that the people can do a better job of governing than any leader can. To govern himself wisely in congrega- tion with others, the individual citizen must be aware of the problems and issues confronting the state and of their possible solution and conse- quences. In a government resting on public opinion, then, the press furnishes the people with the in- formation and ideas that they need for making sound decisions.7 In the early days when newspapers were a sideline job, journalistic ethics were scarce. Later, when editors were partisans and had political interests, private interests were above the public's. By the middle of the nineteenth century men like Horace Greely believed "the newspaper should not be politically neutral, but neither should it be subservient to any political party or faction. Rather it should furnish political leadership by setting the public good above party allegiance."8 In 1923 the American Society of NeWSpaper Editors, demonstrated this sense of responsibility by setting ethical standards for the medium. The Canons of Journa- lism "called upon newspapers to act with responsibility to general welfare, truthfulness, sincerity, impartiality, 9 fair play, decency, and respect for individual privacy." The canons portray the rationality of men and his ability 71bid., p. 105. 81bid., p. 111. 91bid., p. 112. .rh - to find truth and to distinguish right from wrong by the power of his reason and the dictates of his conscience. And the canons also share the idea that the self-righting process will operate in a free marketplace of knowledge and Opinion. This study considers how three Michigan daily newspapers used their right to freedom of the press, granted by the First Amendment to the United States Con- stitution, with respect to a general election. The object of this study is to find out if news in the daily paper is aimed at helping the readership, "the electorate," form an intelligent and fair decision to help govern itself wisely. This study is concerned specifically with how the electorate of Michigan was supplied information about proposed legislation that would reform the existing abortion law, which would make legal the expulsion of the human fetus before it is viable, within the first twenty weeks of pregnancy. The proposed legislation was desig- nated as "Proposal B" on the general election ballot on November 7, 1972, and the electorate was asked to accept the reform in the existing law regulating abortion, or reject it. News, an account of an event, and news re- portage about the abortion reform in Michigan from October 1, 1972, to November 7, 1972, was examined in the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, and the Lansing State Journal. These neWSpapers were chosen for several reasons. The six counties of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Monroe, and Lapeer are the largest counties in the Detroit area. Genesee, Ingham, Washtenaw, Lenawee, Jackson, Eaton, Livingston, Shiawassee, Clinton, and Hillsdale are the largest counties in the Lansing area. These areas are also the counties included in the Detroit and Lansing dioceses, two of the largest, of the Roman Catholic Church in Michigan. The Roman Catholic concentration is greatest in these areas in Michigan. This was significant because the Catholic Church formally opposed abortion and, accord- ing to the Detroit Free Press of October 29, 1972, "The leading opponent of Proposal B is the Catholic Church, which is conducting a massive 'Love and Let Live' campaign to convince Catholics to pull the 'No' lever . . . " Another significant factor was a pro-abortion reform group, such as the Michigan Abortion Referendum Committee, which had its headquarters in Lansing. The committee bought newspaper advertising and it arranged for pro- liberalized abortion speakers to address citizen groups. Typically, the activities of the committee provided news that the Lansing State Journal should have covered in its news columns. Offices of the Voice of the Unborn, a non- sectarian coalition, were located in Detroit and its activities were worthy of news coverage by the Detroit daily newspapers. The 1970 Census for Michigan lists a pOpulation of 8,875,083, of whom 5,593,865 live¥in the sixteen counties cited above.10 This is 63 per cent of the population. The Chancery of the Diocese of Lansing of the Roman Catho- lic Church reported in October, 1972, that 1,787,113 of the total population of these sixteen counties of Michigan were members of its church.11 This is 31 per cent of the population. The Detroit Free Press, which circulates through- out all of Michigan, is the only morning daily paper of general circulation published in the state. The Audit Bureau CirculatiOn figures (twelve-month period ending September 24, 1972) for the Detroit Free Press is 592,686 12 daily and 655,643 on Sunday. The Free Press, owned by Knight Newspapers, Incorporated, is a member of the Associ- ated Press, a cooperative, worldwide news-gathering agency, and a client of the United Press International, also a news-gathering agency Operating on a worldwide basis. The Detroit Free Press circulation is concentrated in Macomb, 10U.S., Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Cen- sus, United States Census of Population: 1970, Number of Inhabitants: Michigan. 11Diocese of Lansing, "Official Catholic Directory for 1973" (unpublished report). 12Audit Bureau of Circulation, Audit Report for the Detroit Free Press for the period ending Sept. 24, 1972. Wayne, Monroe, Lapeer, Oakland, and St. Clair counties. Politically the Free Press calls itself independent.13 The Detroit News, a daily evening newspaper, covers primarily the Detroit metrOpolitan and has a daily circulation of 653,381 and a Sunday circulation of 869,021.14 In November, 1960 the News purchased the Detroit Times from Hearst Newspapers and is currently owned by the Evening News Association. 15 The News is a member of the Associated Press, and clients of the United Press International, and of Reuters News.Agency. Politi- cally the News reports it is independent.16 The Lansing State Journal, an evening daily paper, has a circulation of 79,594 daily and 80,490 on Sunday.17 The State Journal circulates in Livingston, Shiawassee, Clinton, Ingham, Eaton, Ionia, and Gratiot counties, six of the ten major counties surrounding Lansing. The State Journal is owned by Gannett Company, Incorporated. lBEQEEggifi Publisher International Yearbook (New York: Editor & PuBIisher Co., 1972), p. 207. 14Editor & Publisher Market Guide p. 207. Figures are from the Audit Bureau of Circulation, as of Sept. 24, 1972. 15International Yearbook, p. 134. lGIbid., p. 134. 17Audit Bureau of Circulation, Audit Report for the Lansing State Journal for the period ending Sept. 24, 1972. 10 Politically it calls itself independent Republican. The newspaper is a client of the United Press International, and a member of the Associated Press.18 These three newspapers have a combined weekday circulation of 1,325,616 and a combined Sunday circulation of 1,605,154. These newspapers circulate among 4,785,490 of the 8,875,083 peOple of Michigan. This is 53.9 per cent of the total Michigan population. Microfilmed copies of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, and the Lansing State Journal were examined at the State Library of Michigan. Each paper was checked page by page for news stories dealing with Proposal B and abortion reform. Length of the stories was measured, page number and position of the story on the page was noted. Microfilmed COpy usually does not equal the origi- nal size COpy but since all three newspapers were checked the same way they were proportional to one another. The daily and Sunday issues of each newspaper were examined. The editorial positions of each newspaper were included to help give the reader a complete picture. These data were interpreted in this study as a factor on its own. The editorials were not included in the number of column-inches measured. The story length and headlines were checked closely for bias. The story content and 18Editor & Publisher Market Guide (New York: Editor & PuBIisher Co., 1972), p. 248} 11 position were also considered for fairness. The number of column-inches alloted to each side of the abortion issue was a fact clearly observable. The story length was the basis of this study, which is not a mere listing of sta- tistics. The figures were placed in the framework of events. For a valid conclusion, story position, headlines, author or wire service, and many other factors were con- sidered. The time period examined was the month of October and the first week of November, 1972, that period in the political campaign when time, money, and effort were ex- panded. The State Journal noted on October 24, 1972, that "with election day less than two weeks away, groups and individuals supporting or opposed to referendums on the state ballot are stepping up their tempo." In the general election of November 7, the Michi- gan electorate went to the polls to consider a proposition that would liberalize the existing state abortion law. The proposition appeared on the ballot as Proposal B, a Proposal to Allow Abortion Under Certain Conditions The proposed law would allow a licensed medical or osteOpathic physician to perform an abortion at the request of the patient, if (1) the period of gestation has not exceeded 20 weeks, and (2) if the procedure is performed in a licensed hospital or other facility approved by the Department of Public Health. Should This Proposed Law Be Approved? The current 126-year-old law states that an abortion may be performed only to preserve the life of the pregnant woman. A woman cannot be given a legal abortion for any 12 other reason, including rape, incest, and suspected fetal deformity. The current Michigan law was passed in 1846. Anyone performing an abortion, except to save a woman's life, is guilty of a felony, a crime punishable by up to four years in prison. The sequence of events that brought Proposal B to the ballot began long before 1972. In 1968, State Senator Gilbert Bursley, a Republican from Ann Arbor, introduced the first of four abortion bills in the Michigan Senate.19 The 1968 version of the bill died in the Senate Judiciary Committee and the 1969 and 1970 versions were rejected by the Senate. But on March 11, 1971, the Senate passed Bill Number 3 and it was sent to the House of Representa- tives. There the bill was assigned to committee for study but never was permitted to be considered by that legisla- tive body. After some frustrating days and two fruitless attempts to bring the abortion bill out of committee the pro-abortion reform supporters decided to seek petitions to place the proposal on the November ballot. An inde- pendent action by Michigan citizens prompted the Michigan Coordinating Committee for Abortion Law Reform to sponsor the petition. The petition drive needed 212,498 valid signatures, and the Michigan Coordinating Committee ob- tained 304,000 signatures from registered voters by 19Lansing State Journal, April 20, 1972. p. 6B. 13 April 18, 1971. The pro-abortion reform group received a moral boost on October 6, 1972, when Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Charles Kaufman ordered a halt to prosecutions under the abortion law. After Judge Kaufman's order several abortion clinics opened. After several charges of invalid signatures on the petition by anti-abortion reform groups, the petition was certified by the State Board of Canvassers by a 4-0 vote.20 After the certification of the petition the pro-abortion backers waited through a forty-day countdown for the petition in the Michigan Legislature. A statute of Michi— gan states there has to be a forty-day wait to give the Legislature time to act if it decides to. "May 28 is the deadline for legislative action on the prOposal. None is expected, in view of the failure of a less liberal measure to get through the House."21 The forty-day time- limit passed, there was no action, and the proposal went on the ballot. Anti-abortion reform backers protested the certification saying the signatures were invalid but on August 2, 1972, the Michigan Court of Appeals heard the 22 case and ruled they were valid. The last barrier was removed on September 8 for the pro-abortion backers when 20Detroit Free Press, Feb. 6, 1972. p. 3. 21Lansing State Journal, April 20, 1972. p. 68. 22Detroit Free Press, Oct. 29, 1972. p. 3E. 14 the Michigan Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeals ruling.23 The abortion issue was given Proposal B spot on the ballot to be voted upon in November. During September and October, the pro-abortion and anti-abortion reform groups worked hard to reach voters. The abortion issue was an emotional one for the electorate because it involved making a decision of life or death for another person. Religion, morals, over-population, dis- ease, and fetal deformity were also factors involved in forming a decision. All three Michigan daily newspapers published news accounts dealing with the above named fac- tors. An example of the emotionalism surrounding the issue appeared in the Detroit News on October 24, October 28, November 1, November 11, and November 13, in news accounts describing outdoor billboards that were put up in the Detroit area depicting Jesus Christ saying "Thou shalt not kill." The Detroit Free Press carried news stories with headlines of the "Act of Killing" on October 29, and the "Embryo is Alive" on November 3. The Lansing State Journal ran similar articles in November. The newspapers consistently covered the abortion reform question from November 1 to November 7. The anti- abortion reform group most often covered by the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, and the Lansing State 23Ibid., p. 3E. 15 Journal was the Voice of the Unborn, a non-sectarian coa- lition. ”Michael Deeb, a State Board of Education member and executive director of the Voice of the Unborn, said "the group early in the campaign printed more than a million contribution envelopes, which were distributed in Protestant as well as Catholic Churches throughout the state."24 Funds were also solicited in all Catholic parishes and raised at dinners and luncheons. The organization's $200,000 campaign included the distribution of more than a million illustrated pamphlets and many radio and television spots. It was designed to show that the fetus at 20 weeks--the outside limit for a legal abortion under the proposed law--is a functioning, feeling human being. The Detroit News published findings of a public opinion poll, conducted by Market Opinion Research, Incorporated, of Detroit, on November 3, and the results of a hard cam- paign began to show. These are the results of the Detroit News's four polls on abortion. Table 1. The percentages of the Detroit News poll on Proposal B, abortion law reform, in the General Election of November 7, 197226 Poll 1 Poll 2 Poll 3 Poll 4 Changes of Sept. 1 Sept. 21 Oct. 11 Oct. 31 poll 3 to 4 Favor 57 59 56 42 -14 Oppose 37 36 40 54 +14 Un- decided 6 5 4 4 0 24 . ‘Detr01t News, Nov. 6, 1972. p. 3. 2 . , 5Detr01t Free Press, Nov. 9, 1972. p. 3A. 26Detroit News, Nov. 3, 1972. p. 1A. 16 Table 2. The percentages of the Detroit News poll on Proposal B, abortion law reform, in the General Election of November 7, 1972, by religious denomination27 Favor Oppose Undecided Change in favorable vote in polls 3-4 Protestants 43 53 4 -18 Catholic 26 70 4 -14 Jewish 83 17 0 - 5 On a wet Tuesday, November 7, 1972, the Michigan people went to the polls and voted on the abortion issue. The Michigan State Board of Canvassers certified that 1,270,029 voted "yes" and 2,028,935 voted "no." On November 9 the Detroit Free Press reported that two months earlier the Michigan electorate support to oppose the liberalized state abortion law went from 37 per cent to 61 per cent. "The reversal was the result of one of the most startling and successful campaigns in Michigan political history."28 A pro-abortion reform group member, a former state senator, Mrs. N. Lorraine Beebe, a Republican from Dear- born, had launched her fight for abortion reform in 1967 in the Michigan Legislature. She believed the issue has Ibecome a "freedom of religion" battle. "Why shouldn't everyone have the right to decide the morality of abortion 27Ibid., p. 1A. 28Detroit Free Press, Nov. 9, 1972, p. 3A. 17 for himself?" she said.29’ Pro-abortion reform backers said the matter should be decided by the woman involved and her physician, not by legislatures or the clergy. The most controversial part of Proposal B was the twenty-week limit for an abortion. On November 9, the Detroit Free Press reported that "while 80 to 90 per cent of all legal abortions are performed before 10 weeks, Mrs. Beebe and other pro-abortion spokesmen said, the twenty-week limit is justified because certain tests for retardation and deformity in the unborn child cannot be conducted until the sixteenth or seventeenth weeks, and defective results can take several more weeks." On November 5, the Detroit News reported that backers argued that if twenty weeks is too liberal the law can always be changed. They said "that the State Constitution provides any change in a law initiated by petitions and approved at the polls, can be changed only by another vote of the people or by three-quarters majority of both houses of the Legislature." 29Ibid., Nov. 6, 1972. p. 3A. CHAPTER II DETROIT FREE PRESS The Detroit Free Press, the only morning paper in the study, allotted a total of 381 1/4 column-inches to news stories on the proposed abortion law reform, Proposal B, in the general election of November 7, 1972.1 The Free Press made an effort toward thorough coverage of the reform issue by publishing a supplement page, Special Election Guide. The guide was entitled, "What You Should Know About Abortion--And Proposal B--Before You Cast Your Ballot," with questions and answers to in- form the reader.2 The accompanying story covered many aspects of the proposal and the reporter tried to antici- pate some of the voters' concerns. There were twenty-four questions, which totaled 30 column-inches. On the same page, a story written by Roger Lane, Free Press staff writer, was given 22 column-inches telling the reader how petitions put the abortion reform proposal on the ballot.3 1Detroit Free Press, Oct. l—Nov. 7, 1972, passim. 21bid., Oct. 29, 1972, p. 3E. 3Ibid. 18 19 In an effort toward unbiased coverage, the Fgee ggeee alternated the reporters assigned to cover stories about abortion reform. The majority of its coverage was provided by staff writers Paul Branzburg, Roger Lane, John Griffith, Betty DeRamus, Louis Heldman, and Judy Diebolt.4 The Free Press used only two wire-service stories. Of the total 381 1/4 column-inches published about the abortion reform issue, 67 1/2 column-inches were news stories about pro-abortion reform and its supporters. Sixty-six column-inches of news space were allotted to anti-abortion reform and its supporters. The remaining column-inches were impartial news stories about the pro- posal. Although it is impossible to measure exactly, the pro-abortion reform supporters received only 1 1/2 more column-inches in their coverage than did the anti-abortion supporters. There was a total of 23 news stories about abortion from October 1 until November 7. The Free Press also published a story about the abortion reform campaign activities of Baptist and Roman Catholic churches in Michigan.5 The story was 18 column- inches in length and 9 column-inches favored pro-abortion supporters and 9 colum-inches favored the anti-abortion supporters. The Free Press balanced its news coverage of both sides of the abortion issue. 4Ibid., Oct. l-Nov. 7, 1972, passim. 5Ibid., Oct. 2, 1972, p. 63. 20 "Abortionists Thrive Outside Law" was the banner headline on the story that measured 34 1/2 column-inches.6 The news story explained the cost of an abortion, the medical procedure, and the role of an abortion referral agency.7 The story said abortions could be arranged then, even though the proposal had not been approved yet. The Free Press engaged a secretary to portray a pregnant woman looking for help, and the newspaper published the account of the treatment she had received from different referral agencies. The Free Press was still giving fair and balanced coverage to the abortion issue. The Free Press said it editorially favored Pro- posal B and encouraged readers to vote "yes" on the November 7 ballot. "Our conviction is that a woman should have the option of terminating her pregnancy under safe medical conditions," the newspaper said.8 Proposal B on the November ballot would permit women freedom of choice about abortions. A news story about a court ruling on abortion was co-written by Judy Diebolt and Paul Branzburg, Free Press staff writers. A Wayne County Circuit Court judge struck down Michigan's abortion law on October 5, declaring it 6Ibid., Oct. 3, 1972, p. 3A. 7Ibid. 8Editorial, ibid., Oct. 4, 1972, p. 6A. 21 unconstitutional.9 Judge Charles Kaufman affirmed a woman's right to control her own body in a 36 1/2 column- inch story. The judge's opinion came in response to a law suit filed by a former state senator, Mrs. N. Lorraine Beebe, a Republican from Dearborn, and 1,050 Michigan women.10 The Free Press editors tried to keep the story free from bias by not mentioning any pro-abortion reform supporters' names or any anti-abortion reform supporters' names of their activities in the story. The Free Press reported only the news of a recent court ruling on abortion. From October 7 to October 12, no news stories about abortion reform were published. This was the five- day waiting period before Judge Kaufman signed the ruling; meanwhile, the Free Press encouraged a "yes" vote on 11 Proposal B in an editorial published on October 10. The editors tried to answer the popular question among voters, was abortion murder, in the editorial columns. Judge Kaufman was quoted in the editorial as saying the law had not treated the unborn child as a full legal per- son in any comprehensive way. "Thus, as a matter of abstract law, abortion of an early stage fetus is not murder."12 9Ibid., Oct. 6, 1972, p. 1A. loIbid. llEditorial, ibid., Oct. 10, 1972, p. 6A. 12 Ibid. 22 Judge Kaufman signed the formal ruling of October 5, and the Free Press allotted 13 1/2 column-inches to the story.13 In response to this ruling, anti-abortion reform supporters said Judge Kaufman's ruling would help to pass the referendum on the November 7 ballot.14 They also charged that a change in the state abortion laws would have a genocidal effect on blacks.15 State Representative Rosetta Ferguson, a Democrat from Detroit, was quoted in the story as charging that some peOple were supporting the law so that the number of black birth would be re- duced.16 At this stage of the campaign the pro-abortion reform supporters were given 22 1/2 column—inches of space in the Free Press and the anti-abortion reform sup- porters were given 25 1/2 column-inches of space. The opponents of liberalized abortion laws stepped up their campaign against PrOposal B with a fund-raising luncheon at $6.75 a person, and with a press conference.17 But the pro-abortion reform backers were still predicting 18 a victory in a story written by Betty DeRamus. The 13Ibid., Oct. 12, 1972, p. 3A. 14Ibid., Oct. 12, 1972, p. 5A. 15Ibid. 16:616. 17Ibid., Oct. 19, 1972, p. 8A. 18Ibid., Oct. 20, 1972, p. 3A. 23 pro-abortion reform group, including a clergyman and a gynecologist, said their opponents were clouding the issue with emotionalism. The Free Press allotted 17 column- inches to this story and the editors backed the pro-abortion reform supporters' prediction of victory based on the 19 results of the Detroit News poll. The poll was taken by Market Opinion Research, Incorporated, of Detroit. The poll reported that "56 per cent of 803 registered voters interviewed wanted the abortion law changed and 40 «20 per cent were opposed. The story also mentioned notable supporters of Proposal B such as Governor and Mrs. William G. Milliken, and an opponent of the prOposal, Lieutenant Governor James Brickley.21 "State Supreme Court to Rule on Abortion" was the banner headline on a 12 column-inch story.22 The Michigan Supreme Court announced that it would review the 126-year- old abortion law, even though the ruling was not expected until after the election. The Free Press editorial stand on abortion reform and the position of their readers did not coincide. After the Free Press published 10 letters to the editor, 3 19Ibid. 2Orbid. 21Ibid. 22Ibid., Oct. 21, 1972, p. 1A. 24 pro-abortion reform and 7 anti-abortion reform, the editors once again editorially supported Proposal B.23 They did not agree with their readers but kept their support for change confined to the editorial page, and editorial opinion did not seep into news stories. The big issue during the abortion reform campaign was the outdoor billboards that were erected in the Detroit area. The billboards depicted a representation of Jesus Christ warning, in large letters, "Thou shalt not kill."24 The opponents of Proposal B won a case brought against them to remove the four giant billboards and fifty smaller ones. The request for the ban had been made by the Michigan Abortion Referendum Committee, a pro-abortion group.25 The Free Press reported that the suit charged the billboards violated a section of the Michigan election law. The law states that "no priest, pastor, curate or other officer of any religious society shall impose or threaten to impose any penalty of excom- municating, dismissal or expulsion, or command or advise under pain of disapproval for the purpose of influencing 26 any voter at any election of primary election.“ The Free Press gave 7 1/2 column-inches to this story. 23Ibid., Oct. 24, 1972, p. 6A. 24Ibid., Nov. 1, 1972, p. 3A. ZSIbid. 26Michigan, Compiled Law (1964), Sec. l68.931)e). 24 pro-abortion reform and 7 anti-abortion reform, the editors once again editorially supported Proposal 3.23 They did not agree with their readers but kept their support for change confined to the editorial page, and editorial opinion did not seep into news stories. The big issue during the abortion reform campaign was the outdoor billboards that were erected in the Detroit area. The billboards depicted a representation of Jesus Christ warning, in large letters, "Thou shalt not kill."24 The opponents of Proposal B won a case brought against them to remove the four giant billboards and fifty smaller ones. The request for the ban had been made by the Michigan Abortion Referendum Committee, a pro-abortion group.25 The Free Press reported that the suit charged the billboards violated a section of the Michigan election law. The law states that "no priest, pastor, curate or other officer of any religious society shall impose or threaten to impose any penalty of excom- municating, dismissal or expulsion, or command or advise under pain of disapproval for the purpose of influencing 26 any voter at any election of primary election." The Free Press gave 7 1/2 column-inches to this story. 23Ibid., Oct. 24, 1972, p. 6A. 24Ibid., Nov. 1, 1972, p. 3A. 25Ibid. 26 Michigan, Compiled Law (1964), Sec. 168.93l)e). 25 The Free Press coverage of the abortion reform proposal was minimal the last week in the campaign. The biggest news story was published November 3 and was written by Roger Lane, on the state abortion rules pending the 27 approval of PrOposal B. The story measured 30 column— inches. The Free Press editorial of that day for the fourth time urged its readers to support PrOposal B. The editors said, "We believe Proposal B represents this state's opportunity to make abortions a matter of indi- vidual discretion and medical advice."28 The polls had showed consistent support for the principle of legalized abortion in Michigan, the editors said, but the latest barrage of advertising against Proposal B had chipped away at some of its early support. Only three days before the election, the EEES ggeee published a 7 1/2 column-inch story on the Governor's Commission on Fair Election Campaign Practices, threaten- ing the Voice of the Unborn, an anti-abortion reform group, with a public condemnation if the group did not stop re- ferring to the proposed new time limit for legal abortions 29 as five months. The time limit for abortions in the proposal was twenty weeks, which is less than five months. 27Free Press, Nov. 2, 1972, p. 1A. 28Editorial, ibid., Nov. 3, 1972, p. 6A. 29Ibid., Nov. 4, 1972, p. 3A. 26 Dr. Richard Jaynes, president of the Voice of the Unborn, said the group was referring to lunar months. A lunar month is about twenty-eight days, or four weeks.30 On November 6 and 7, the Free Press published no news stories on the proposed abortion law. But in edi- torials the editors recommended a "yes" vote for Proposal B along with other recommendations for proposals in the election.31 Only three pictures were published in the {gee Press with news stories on abortion reform. In the Special Abortion Issue, the Free Press published 1 1/2 by 2 column-inch pictures of former State Senator Mrs. N. Lorraine Beebe, a Republican from Dearborn, Senator John E. McCauley, a Democrat from Grosse Ile, and Senator Gilbert Bursley, a Republican from Ann Arbor, all sup- porters of abortion reform and who had introduced different abortion bills in the Legislature.32 Much of the election coverage for the Free Press was focused on political figures rather than on issues in the general election of November 7. The supporters and opponents of Proposal B could receive the majority of the news coverage and still complain of "bad press." 30Ibid. 31Editorial, ibid., Nov. 6-7, 1972, p. 6A. 321bid., Oct. 29, 1972, p. 3E. 26 Dr. Richard Jaynes, president of the Voice of the Unborn, said the group was referring to lunar months. A lunar month is about twenty-eight days, or four weeks.30 On November 6 and 7, the Free Press published no news stories on the proposed abortion law. But in edi- torials the editors recommended a "yes" vote for Proposal B along with other recommendations for proposals in the election.31 Only three pictures were published in the EESE Press with news stories on abortion reform. In the Special Abortion Issue, the Free Press published 1 1/2 by 2 column-inch pictures of former State Senator Mrs. N. Lorraine Beebe, a Republican from Dearborn, Senator John E. McCauley, a Democrat from Grosse Ile, and Senator Gilbert Bursley, a Republican from Ann Arbor, all sup- porters of abortion reform and who had introduced different 32 abortion bills in the Legislature. Much of the election coverage for the Free Press was focused on political figures rather than on issues in the general election of November 7. The supporters and opponents of Proposal B could receive the majority of the news coverage and still complain of "bad press." 30Ibid. 31Editorial, ibid., Nov. 6-7, 1972, p. 6A. 321bid., Oct. 29, 1972, p. 3E. 27 What is judged fair or favorable by one reader is too narrow minded or biased to another. As far as could be determined, however, the {gee Egeee succeeded in treating both sides of the proposal equally throughout the campaign. An example of fairness was the number of column-inches allotted to pro-abortion reform supporters and anti-abortion reform supporters by the Free Press, with only 1 1/2 columnéinches difference favoring the former group. There was a total of five pro-abortion reform stories and seven anti-abortion reform stories; the remaining eleven were impartial news stories. The Free Press lost a little of its balance in.the number of stories published. Fourteen abortion stories, out of twenty-three, were placed in section A of the newspaper and three were placed in section B. The Free Press did keep the issue before readers' eyes. The stories were reported by staff writers of the Free Press, which did not rely on coverage of abortion law reform news by the wire- services. Thus, it would seem that the Free Press suc- ceeded in being fair in its abortion reform news coverage and limited its preference for liberalized abortion laws to its rightful place on the editorial page. CHAPTER III DETROIT NEWS The most significant factor about the press cover- age on abortion law reform by the Detroit News was the Market Opinion Research, Incorporated, public Opinion poll that was conducted among a sample of registered Michigan voters and published before the general election of Novem- ber 7. The polls were conducted by Frederick P. Currier, president of Market Opinion Research, Incorporated, on September 24, October 5, October 19, and November 3, for the Detroit News.1 In retrospect, it appears that the comment of the Nege city editor, William C. Tremblay, that the polls "accurately predicted voter reaction to the pro- posal" was correct.2 In the first sampling of public opinion, the Neye reported that the voters favored abortion reform, and by the time the results of the second poll was released voter support had dropped 3 per cent. On November 3, above 1Detroit News, Sept. 24-Nov. 7, 1972, passim. 2Letter from William C. Tremblay, city editor, Detroit News, Feb. 12, 1973. 28 29 the story reporting the findings in the last opinion poll, the Nege_published the headline "Abortion Reform Defeat Indicated in News Poll.“3 This poll proved to be accurate when the Michigan electorate rejected Proposal B on Novem- ber 7. The polls were based on interviews and secret ballots from a representative sample of 798 registered Michigan voters taken on October 5, of 803 voters on October 19, and of 800 voters on November 3.4 There was a total of 48 1/2 column-inches published in the Detroit Neye about the polls during the time-period of this study. The results of the polls taken by the Detroit News were reported by the Associated Press and published in other Michigan newspapers as an indicator of the feelings of the electorate of Michigan. A total of 392 1/4 column-inches published in the Detroit News could be classified as stories about abortion law reform. Between October 1 and November 7, thirty news stories were published by the Detroit News. Pro—abortion law reform stories totaled 86 1/2 column-inches and 76 l/2 column-inches of news were allotted to anti-abortion law reform stories. The remaining 229 1/4 column—inches of space were allotted to non-partisan stories such as court decisions concerning the 126-year-old abortion law. 3Detroit News, Oct. 5, 1972, p. 1A; Oct. 19, 1972, p. 1A; Nov. 3, 1972, p. 1A. 4 Ibid 0 30 The Detroit News used only two wire-service stories. Luise Leismer, of the city staff; Mary Lou Butcher and Clark Hallas, of the city-county news bureau; Glenn Engle, Gary Schuster, and Al Sander of the Lansing bureau were the Detroit News reporters who were assigned to cover abortion stories.5 City Editor William C. Tremblay said, "I am confident our readers were fully and fairly informed regarding the proposed changes."6 News stories concerning the current abortion law, the court and its recent rulings were extensively covered by the Detroit News staff writers. The Detroit News, like the Detroit Free Press, covered Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Charles Kaufman's ruling on the current Michi- gan abortion law.7 The Detroit News gave the story 15 column-inches, set double column measure, with headline, 8 The "unconstitu— "State Abortion Law Ruled Invalid." tional" ruling story was the beginning of a period of confusion for the people of Michigan. Another story, measuring 38 1/2 column-inches, concerning a response to Judge Kaufman's ruling by Senator Gilbert Bursley, chairman of the Michigan Abortion 5Letter from William C. Tremblay, city editor, ibid., Feb. 12, 1973. 6Ibid. 7Ibid., Oct. 5, 1972, p. 1A. 8Ibid. 31 Referendum Committee, was published by the Detroit News. Bursley said that Judge Kaufman's ruling was "good and bad news."9 The good news.was that the addition of another judicial Opinion showed that the Michigan Abortion law was archaic, completely out oftune with the times, and an infringement on the rights of women. Bursley said the bad news was that the ruling added to the confusion over the status of the state abortion law.10 In the following Sunday edition of the Detroit Neye a story, headed "Tangle on Abortion May End Tuesday," said there were meetings scheduled by Dr. Maurice Reizen, director of the State Department of Health, in Detroit and in Lansing; and a State Supreme Court stay had been ordered to help solve the legal maze now surrounding the stater 126-year-old abortion law. In this 22 column-inch story the Detroit News said that Dr. Reizen was to meet with legal advisers from the attorney general's office and the State Medical Board of Licensing in hOpe of find- ing a legal way to curb and regulate the wide-open booming ll abortion business. Luise Leismer was the staff writer for the story. 91bid., Oct. 6, 1972, p. 1A. loIbid. 11Ibid., Oct. 8, 1972, p. 3A. 32 A strong group of the anti—abortion reform faction in Detroit was the Roman Catholic Church. The Detroit Nege story describing this group's activities said, "Catholics throughout the six-county Archdiocese of De- troit yesterday were urged from the parish pulpits to vote against the liberalization of abortion laws in the Novem- I“ , her 7 election. Both laymen and priests addressed congre- u L! gations as part of the Catholic Church's drive in Michigan to defeat Proposal B."12 The Roman Catholic concentration .-H in the sixteen counties involved in this study is E; 1,787,113 of the total population of 5,931,865. This is a factor the editors of the Detroit News had to take into account since they were potential subscribers to the newspaper also. For the first time in this study, on October 10, the editors of the Detroit News spoke out on abortion law reform. The editors said editorially that Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Charles Kaufman was abortion reform's worst enemy because he had "ruled for a pro-abortion position with a vengeance--and for a little personal pub- licity. . . . Kaufman sweeps all reason aside and says, in effect; abort as you will." The editorial said, "We 12Ibid., Oct. 9, 1972, p. 3A. 33 urge voters to cast an overwhelming 'yes' vote for Pro- posal B on the November ballot. This way it will have some protections of the State Department of Health."13 When Judge Kaufman signed this ruling, the Detroit Nege allotted 12 3/4 column-inches to the news story, with the headline, "Judge Refuses to Delay Abortion Law Ban." Judge Kaufman signed the ruling that refused a stay of his order and said he did not know if a physician could be prosecuted in the future for performing an abortion if his ruling were reversed by a higher court.14 The court's decisions were in the news six dif- ferent days and Often they were the cause of confusion for the readers. Seven column-inches were allotted to a story about the current lack of guidelines for abortions after Judge Kaufman's ruling. "John Cook, chief of the Depart- ment of Public Health's Information and Education Division, said if the department were to impose abortion rules and then a higher court reinstates Michigan's 1846 law, then we would be technically guilty of aiding and abetting an 15 illegal act." This story also helped to confuse the reader on where the abortion law stood in the courts. 13Editoria1, ibid., Oct. 10, 1972, p. BB. 141616., Oct. 11, 1972, p. 1A. 151bid., Oct. 13, 1972, p. 3A. 34 Later in the month, the courts and their activities were in the news again. A 27 column-inch story appeared concerning parallel actions announced within an hour of each other that the Michigan Supreme Court and the State Court of Appeals had vacated a Wayne County Circuit Court Judge's ruling that threw out all of Michigan abortion 16 controls as being unconstitutional. The two courts stayed an order by Charles Kaufman. The Detroit News tried to make the whole issue less confusing by explain- ing that the State Supreme Court can bypass the Court of Appeals and supercedes all previous procedural actions ordered by lower courts. "It means that the constitu- tionality of present state abortion laws will be argued before the high court itself without further lower court 17 proceedings." The Detroit News also covered the story about the legality of the outdoor billboards in the Detroit area. Eight and one-half column-inches were given to the story with an accompanying picture of the billboard five inches 18 by two column inches wide. This was the only picture relative to abortion law reform used by the Detroit News in this study. The billboards, mentioned in the previous 16Ibid., Oct. 20, 1972, p. 1A. 17Ibid. 18Ibid., Oct. 24, 1972, p. 12A. 35 chapter dealing with the Detreit Free Press, depicted a representation of Jesus Christ saying, "Thou shalt not kill." There were no abortion stories from October 25 through October 30, but the Detroit News published a 12 column-inch story on October 31 about Judge Richard Maher's ruling on the billboards.19 The billboards were 1 ruled legal. In the last week of the campaign the Detroit News allotted 87 1/2 column-inches to stories about abortion ;': reform. Thirty-three column—inches were pro-abortion 9:! reform stories and 32 column-inches were anti-abortion reform stories. The remaining 22 1/2 column-inches were non-partisan stories. The Detroit News did not let its editorial stand influence its reportage on Proposal B. The Detroit News also published a statement made by the mayor of Detroit. Roman Gribbs and Dr. William Clexton, a city health department official, attacked abortion reform in a 17 cOlumn-inch story.20 Legalized abortion is "a poor substitute for the public health pro- grams urgently needed to eliminate the senseless tragedy tied to unwanted pregnancies and back alley abortions," they said.21’ 19Ibid., Oct. 31, 1972, p. 12A. 20Ibid., Nov. 1, 1972, p. 6B. 21Ibid., Nov. 3, 1972, p. 13A. 36 The Detroit News carried four stories about abortion reform on November 3. The first one was the lead story with a banner headline about the fourth Detroit News public Opinion poll. The story appeared to be fair to both sides on the issue since there was no mention of pro-abortion or anti—abortion groups. The second story was a 9 column-inch story about the Michigan Department of Public Health and rules dealing with legal abortions 22 in hospitals and clinics. This story was also a non- partisan story. A third story concerned an all-night interfaith prayer vigil. Seven column-inches were given to the story.23 The health board urged a "yes" vote on abortion in a fourth story. "The Detroit Board of Health has endorsed abortion law revision as outlined in Proposal B on Tuesday's election ballot," the DetroitTNews re- ported.24 Dr. Herbert Bloom, board president, said liberalization of Michigan abortion laws was needed "in the interests of alleviating a serious public health prob- 25 lem in Detroit." This story was counted as a pro- abortion story. 22Ibid., Nov. 3, 1972, p. 13A. 23Ibid. 24Ibid. 251616. 37 Luise Leismer, Detroit News staff writer, covered the story on the Michigan State Medical Society's Commit- tee on Maternal Health.26 The group said reform was needed to cut down on the rising rate of deaths from illegal 27 abortions. This 12 column-inch story urged a "yes" vote on Proposal B in the November 7 general election.28 The day before the election, November 6, the Detroit News published a 16 1/2 column-inch story on abortion reform and the implications if Proposal B was approved. "Abortion Reform--Election's Most Emotional Issue" was the headline on this story.29 The story was an unbiased (because the story did not side with one group of supporters) and comprehensive account on the abortion law reform, how the issue got on the ballot, what groups had played important roles in the campaign, and how the 30 The proposed law measured up to those in other states. story was a complete summary of significant issues for the Michigan electorate before the November 7 election. Looking at the total picture of the Detroit News coverage of the abortion reform issue, both sides received 26Ibid., Nov. 4, 1972, p. 12A. 27Ibid. 281316. 29Ibid., Nov. 6, 1972, p. 3A. 30Ibid. 38 nearly the same amount of space allotted to proponents and Opponents of the abortion law reform controversy. The pro-abortion reform supporters and their campaign received 10 more column-inches of space in the Detroit News. Twenty-one news stories concerning both sides of the issue were spotted on the front page or in section A and given the same amount of priority. Eight of the remaining nine news stories were in section B. The abortion reform question was given full cover- age the last week of the campaign and there was only an inch of space difference in the pro-abortion and anti- abortion sides of the issue. It seems that even though the pro-abortion reform backers had a slight edge throughout the campaign, the Detroit News tried to cover Proposal B fairly. The edi- tors Of the Detroit News did not do as good of a job at balancing column-inches as the Detroit Free Press. But the editors' support Proposal B was confined to the edi- torial page and was not indicated in news stories. CHAPTER IV LANSING STATE JOURNAL The Lansing State Journal, the only newspaper located in Michigan's capital city, was different in three ways in its coverage of the abortion law reform issue from the other two newspapers in this study. One, the State Journal used nine wire-service stories compared to the two wire-service stories in the Detroit.News, and two wire-service stories in the Detroit Free Press. The State Journal did not put by-lines on all of its news stories. There were fifteen stories with no staff writer's name accompanying them.1 Two, the State Journal was the only newspaper in the study that had a great imbalance of column-inches on abortion law reform stories. Of a total of 398 1/2 column- inches dealing with 32 abortion stories, 183 column-inches were nOn-partisan stories, 19 1/2 column-inches were pro- abortion reform stories, and 196 column-inches were anti- abortion reform stories.2 1Lansing State Journal, Oct. l-Nov. 7, 1972, passim. 2 Ibid. 39 40 Three, the editors of the State Journal published only one editorial on abortion law reform. On October 30, the editors said PrOposal B, the proposition to liberalize Michigan's abortion laws, was more of an emotional issue than parochiaid had been in 1968.3 Parochiaid was a proposal in the 1968 general election to aid parochial E schools in the state._ The person responsible for esca- é lating the emotion was Judge Charles Kaufman, Wayne County 5 Circuit Court, and his ruling on the current 126-year-old abortion law. "Wisely the state supreme court moved fl quickly to intervene and accept jurisdiction. Certainly a ruling of such magnitude has to be made at that level," the State Journal said editorially.4 Because the issue was a matter of deep convictions and concepts, "we do not feel it appropriate to suggest how anyone should vote on this issue, the editors said.5 It was important to vote on Proposal B, but they were not recommending a "yes" or "no" vote. Many citizens of Lansing made their position on liberalized abortion law reform clear in the State Journal in their letters to the editor and in the public opinion polls that were taken in Lansing on October 12, October 22, 3 Editorial, ibid., Oct. 30, 1972, p. 12A. 4131a. SIbid. 41 and November 5.6 The majority of the letters to the editor that dealt with the controversial issue were anti- abortion reform letters. On October 28, 29, and 31, the State Journal published a total of thirty abortion reform letters.7 Three letters were pro-abortion reform responses and twenty-seven letters were anti-abortion reform responses.8 The poll, conducted by Market Opinion Research, Incorporated, (MOR) of Detroit, was a telephone survey of 419 registered voters in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties.9 The results of the poll showed that on October 12, some 56 per cent of the people would vote "yes" on abortion reform and 46 per cent would vote "yes" on abortion reform in the poll taken October 22.10 Forty per cent would vote "no" on abortion reform on October 12, and 48 per cent would vote "no" on abortion reform on 11 October 22. "The poll conducted by MOR apparently re- flected the impact of the intensified effort against the 6Ibid., Oct. 12, 1972, p. 1A; Oct. 22, 1972, p. 1A; Nov. 5, I972, p. 1A. 71bid., Oct. 23, 1972, p. 12A; Oct. 29, 1972, p. 10A; Oct._3I_ 1972, p. 123. 8Ibid. 9Ibid., Oct. 22, 1972, p. 1A. lOIbid., Nov. 5, 1972, p. 1A. llIbid. 42 liberalized abortion law in the last few weeks of the cam- 12 paign" the State Journal reported. The poll was divided into eight categories. The State Journal published a detailed account of where the Lansing citizenry placed in the poll. The categories in the State Journal poll were age, sex, race, religion, education, occupation, income, and political affiliation.13' From October 1 through October 5, there were no news stories in the State Journal on abortion law reform. The first story in the newspaper was a non-partisan story. Judge Charles Kaufman ruled that the current abortion law was unconstitutional in a 16 1/2 column-inch story reported by United Press International, a wire-service to which the 14 State Journal subscribes. Judge Kaufman said that "the state's 126-year-old abortion law violated the ninth and fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and ordered local and state officials not to enforce the 15 state abortion laws." The State Journal did not mention any pro-abortion or anti-abortion groups in the story but the following day the first anti-abortion story appeared. 12Ibid. 13Ibid. 14Ibid. 15Ibid. 43 Beverly Hall, family living editor of the State Journal, wrote a 22 1/2 column-inch story about the anti- 16 "With the firm belief in his heart that abortion drive. its never too late to change peOple's minds, Michael Deeb (executive director of the Voice of the Unborn) has taken on the job of coordinating a campaign to defeat the abortion referendum on the November ballot."17 The §Ee£e Journal published a picture of Michael Deeb, measuring eighteen picas wide and three inches deep, with the story. Millicent Lant, a staff writer for the §Ee§e Journal, wrote a 16 column-inch story concerning the controls that were being sought for abortion clinics. Dr. Maurice Reizen, state health director, wanted firm control over any upstart abortion clinics in the wake of 18 Judge Kaufman's ruling earlier in the week. Reizen said he was "absolutely determined to protect public health no matter what the muddled legal situation" regarding abortion in Michigan.19 The State Journal allotted 19 1/2 column-inches to a story on Lieutenant Governor James Brickley's oppo- 20 sition to abortion reform. Brickley said, "I think the 161316. 17Ibid. 18Ibid., Oct. 7, 1972, p. 2A. lglbid. 2°Ibid., Oct. 20, 1972, p. 53. gm __'u...-v-1:' . 44 public would be much better protected, if it demanded of its government that it protect human life regardless of the uncertainty of its existence, its stage of development 21 of its usefullness to society." The pro-abortion sup- port of Governor William Milliken in the same story was condemned by bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in Michigan in a 18 1/2 column-inch story.22 In a statement the bishOps said, "It is appalling to us to hear public officials and others in our state advocating a woman's freedom of choice to end the life of the unborn child."23 When Judge Kaufman ruled that the current Michigan abortion law was unconstitutional, the State Journal 24 allotted 24 column-inches to the UPI wire-service story. When abortion law was put back into effect on October 20, the State Journal gave 12 column-inches to the story and 25 placed it below the fold on page one. The State Journal gave a total of 23 column-inches to two news stories about Dr. and Mrs. J. C. Willke, an Ohio physician and his wife, and their speeches.26 Dr. ZlIbid. 22Ibid., Nov. 3, 1972, p. 5B. 231bid. 241616., Oct. 12, 1972, p. 1A. 251616., Oct. 20, 1972, p. 1A. 26Ibid., Oct. 13. 1972, 3. 3B: Oct- 17' 1972' 9' 3B. 45 Willke had come to Michigan to speak to different groups, including the Nurses Association to Assure Life (NATAL), in an effort to help defeat the abortion prOposal on the 27 November ballot. One story was accompanied by a picture, four columns wide and five and three-quarters inches deep, of Dr. Willke holding a photograph of a twenty—week old 28 human fetus. The news story, written by Dick Frazier, of the State Journal staff, reports that "if voters ap— prove PrOposal B in the November election, Michigan will become the abortion capital of mid-America . . . Willke said.29 Meanwhile, the Michigan Supreme Court was still reviewing the abortion law. The court accepted on review a series of then suspended controversial ruling that appeared to liberalize state restrictions on abortions.3O The court's verdict on the 126-year-old law was not to come until after the November election.31 The State Journal allotted 15 column-inches to the story without a by-line. 27Ibid. 28Ibid. 291bid. 3°Ibid. 31Ibid. .J 46 The State Journal published a series of Stories explaining the proposals to the electorate. PrOposal B, the abortion reform story, the second in the series, measured 10 column-inches. The Journal capital bureau chief, William Baird, wrote that after haunting the Legis— lature for four years, the question of liberalizing the ..N Michigan abortion law would go to the voters for a F~_‘ 32 decision. The story explained how the proposal got on the ballot, and that if the proposal was approved Michigan : _ H would join sixteen other states with liberalized abortion i3! laws. This in-depth piece on abortion reform gave facts on how the proposal got on the ballot and other factors, such as the controls to prevent exploitation of patients, which surrounded the issue. Just below this story the State Journal published the results of a public opinion poll taken on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, which is located four miles from downtown Lansing. Attorney Shirley Burgoyne, representative of the Michigan Abortion Referendum Committee, a pro-abortion group, the State Journal reported she had asked sixteen major television stations in Michigan for equivalent broad- cast time to reply to advertising opposing Proposal B in 33 the general election of November 7. "The issue has been 321bid., Oct. 26, 1972, p. 8B. 33Ibid., Oct. 31, 1972, p. 8B. 47 thrown off balance. We are asking for the Opportunity to present our views despite our inability to pay," Attorney Burgoyne said.34 During the first five days of November, the §Ee£e Journal published five significant abortion reform stories. The newsPaper gave 8 column—inches to a UPI wire-service story on a Wayne County Circuit Court judge's ruling that the outdoor billboards in the Detroit area, depicting Jesus Christ, was not in violation of any laws.35 Nine column-inches were given to a story on the Michigan De- partment of Public Health and its plans to handle abortions 36 if Proposal B was passed. "Dr. Maurice Reizen, depart- ment director, said today the state would need at least a month to put into effect regulatory standards prepared by his office and an advising committee of experts," the 37 State Journal reported. But later that week, two State Journal news stories on abortion reform indicated these plans were not really necessary. The voter Opinion polls that had been taken indicated that the abortion reform 38 prOposal was going to lose. One poll that was published 34Ibid. 35Ibid., Nov. 1, 1972, p. 9A. 36Ibid., Nov. 2, 1972, p. 9A. 37Ibid. 38$§i§., Nov. 3, 1972, p. 18; Nov. 5, 1972, p. 1A. 48 by the State Journal was the Detroit News poll and the other was a Gannett News Service Spotlight poll. These polls were conducted by Market Opinion Research, Incorpo- rated, of Detroit.39 The electorate of Michigan was not supporting liberalized abortion laws. Another story con- cerning abortion reform was focused on the Voice of the r Unborn, an anti-abortion group. The Michigan Fair Cam- paign Practices Commission ordered the Voice of the Unborn committee to cease saying Proposal B would permit abortions through five months in its advertisements.40 Q; The State Journal seemed to be swayed by their readers as to what the editors published in the newspaper. The predominant anti-abortion position of the §Ee£e Journal readers, indicated by the polls that were conducted and by the letters to the editor, seemed to influence the editors. The anti-abortion reform stories received 176 1/2 more column-inches of space than the pro-abortion reform sponsors. Even though the State Journal avoided spotting abortion issue stories on page one or in its first news section, anti-abortion supporters made the first news section three times and pro-abortion supporters never made it. There were four stories in the second section (B) for pro-abortion backers and nine stories in section 39Ibid., Nov. 5, 1972, p. 1A. 401316., Nov. 4, 1972, p. 3A. 49 B for anti-abortion backers. The editors of the §Ee2e Journal did not help to balance the disproportionate num- ber of column-inches of space with a pro-abortion editorial position. In the author's opinion, the State Journal was biased in its news coverage of Proposal B. Ingham county and surrounding counties had large concentrations of anti— abortion reform supporters, one being the Roman Catholic Church, and the State Journal seemed to publish only stories that would not rock the boat or upset readers. It is unfortunate balanced campaign coverage was averted by such an influence. CHAPTER V CONCLUSION The Press . . . is also the best instrument for enlightening the mind of man, and improving him as a rational, moral, and social being. --Thomas Jefferson Two of the Michigan daily newspapers included in this study editorially supported Proposal B, the propo- sition to liberalize Michigan's abortion laws, in the general election of November 7. The third newspaper did not take an editorial stand on the abortion issue. The Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News seemed to cover the abortion reform issue with less partisanship than the Lansing State Journal. The Detroit Free Press limited its preference for liberalized abortion laws to the editorial page, and the editors tried to balance the number of column-inches of space allotted to proponents and Opponents of the abortion law reform con- troversy. The pro-abortion reform stories received 67 1/2 column-inches of news space and the anti-abortion reform stories received 66 column-inches of news apace. 50 51 The Detroit News displayed an imbalance of 10 column-inches of news space. The pro-abortion reform stories totaled 86 1/2 column-inches of news, and 76 1/2 column-inches of news were allotted to anti—abortion reform stories. The Detroit News preference for abortion law reform was spotted in its news coverage as well as the E‘ editorial page. The Lansing State Journal editors seemed to yield to the desires of their readers and published a dispro- portionate account of the abortion law reform campaign. éfi The State Journal allotted 176 1/2 more column-inches to anti-abortion reform stories than to news of pro-abortion reform stories. The editors of the State Journal failed to uphold the responsibility that is inherent in the privilege of freedom of the press. Not only did they give more news space to the opponents of Proposal B, but they also virtually ignored the supporters of abortion law reform. The two Detroit newspapers relied primarily on their own staff writers to cover the abortion issue; the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News each used two wire-service stories in the thirty—seven day period prior to the election. The Lansing State Journal used nine wire- service stories during the same period to cover the abortion law controversy. Staff written abortion reform stories were primarily news from the capitol. 52 The Detroit News was the only newspaper in the study that conducted a state-wide public opinion poll on liberalizing the abortion law. Market Opinion Research, Incorporated (MOR), of Detroit, conducted the poll among registered voters. The Detroit Free Press and the Lansing State Journal published a wire-service story on the results of this same poll but the Detroit News was responsible for this project. The Detroit News editors kept the story free of names of proponents and opponents of abortion law reform. The Lansing State Journal also employed MOR to conduct a public opinion poll on liberalizing the abortion law, but the poll was concentrated only on voters regis- tered in Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton counties. The purpose of this study was to illustrate as clearly and completely as possible the manner in which three Michigan daily newspapers reported Proposal B, the proposition to liberalize Michigan's abortion laws, in the general election of November 7. The author has tried to establish that one newspaper studied upheld the re- sponsibility of unbiased news coverage that is implied in the theory of freedom of the press. The Detroit News and the Lansing State Journal did not meet their responsi- bility to their readers; the Lansing State Journal per- forming a less complete job than the Detroit News. Instead, the editors of the Lansing State Journal and the Detroit News substituted unbiased news coverage for biased news coverage of the abortion law reform campaign. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY PUBLISHED MATERIALS BOOKS Chenery, William L. Freeggm of the Press. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1955. Editor & Publisher International Yearbook. New York: Editor and Publisher Co., Inc., 1972. EditorerPublisher Market Guide. New York: Editor and Publisher Co., Inc., I972. Jefferson, Thomas. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. ed. by Julian P. Boyd. Princeton, N. J.: Princeton 2 University Press, 1955. Mott, Frank L. Jefferson and the P£ess. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1943. Sabine, George H., ed. Aregpegiticaj and of Education. New York: Appleton Century Crofts, 1951. Peterson, Theodore; Jensen, Jay W.; and Rivers, William L. The Mass Media and Modern Society. New York: HOIt, Rinehart and Winston, 1965' Newspapers Detroit Free Press. Oct. l-Nov. 7, 1972. Detroit News. Oct. l-Nov. 7, 1972. Lansing State Journal. Oct. l-Nov. 7, 1972. 53 54 Reports Audit Bureau of Circulation. Audit Report for the Lansing State Journal. Sept. 24, 1972. Unpublished Materials Diocese of Lansing, "Official Catholic Directory for 1973," Unpublished report. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. United States Census of Population: 1970, Number of Inhabitants: Michigan. Letters Tremblay, William C., city editor, Detroit News, to author, Feb. 12, 1973. "I7'11?11111111111113