The Press: Napster

Most newspapermen (columnists excepted) consider it bad form to make news out of the misfortunes or shortcomings of fellow members of their profession. Last week Cleveland newspapermen were choosing up sides over such a question of ethics. Reporter Julian Griffin of the Press, substituting on the City Hall beat, had become annoyed by the constant presence in the reporters' room of one Joe Graham, WPA supervisor of a map rehabilitation project and onetime reporter for the News. So Reporter Griffin took a picture of Joe Graham at work (see cut) and wrote a story to go with it in the Press. Excerpts:

"Nearly every morning about 9 o'clock Joe may be found [in the press room] eating doughnuts and drinking coffee out of a paper cup. Frequently he is accompanied by a young lady, his secretary, I am told. . . . The young lady departs and Joe produces a safety razor and shaves himself. After that he is ready to peruse his newspaper. Sometimes he goes for a stroll about the building . . . maybe even going so far as to visit his project. ... In the afternoon he may bring in a book and read awhile until he is ready to stretch out on the bench and take a nap. . . . 'My only comment,' he said, 'would be to hell with whoever woke me up.' "

Result of this story was to get Joe Graham fired. Other newspapermen, almost as indignant as Joe, got him a publicity job with a small county fair near Cleveland. Last week Joe Graham paid City Hall a return visit, searched in vain for Reporter Griffin, curled up on his favorite bench and went to sleep again.