The Press: Saigon's Publishing Perils

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Dragon's Lair. Only about ten of South Viet Nam's dailies make a true operating profit. Others survive on subsidies from politicians or officials with an ax to grind, or by peddling for profit their tax-free newsprint ration to competitors on a thriving black market. Some papers print only a few copies to convince officials of their continued existence, fudging circulation figures to qualify for lucrative newsprint ration renewals. Distribution difficulties in the provinces are due not only to the war but also to the need to pay off an occasional official for the right to circulate freely.

Opposition papers print purposely in several locations, some of them secret, to escape total seizure. Moreover, publishers can often buy back seized papers from bribe-prone police. The cops confiscate only the papers and not the printing plates, so some printers simply wait until the police leave and then crank up the presses once again. Editors get around direct criticism of Thieu with an informal code that fools nobody but satisfies the censor. They refer to him as "the old man" or "the chief" or "Cham King," a reference to his native region. The presidential palace is often called the "Dragon's Lair."

Praise for Thieu's political opponents has never been prohibited, although prudent editors also include the government side of any controversy. When he declared himself the only candidate in last Sunday's presidential election, Thieu said he would welcome constructive criticism by the press—and many papers did devote whole front pages to anti-Thieu material. But Thieu, as the once and future president, is likely to reimpose his indirect censorship on the press, and antiregime editors and publishers will continue to compose their nightly editorials with a wary eye on the Cham King in the Dragon's Lair.