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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY APRIL 27, 1983, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitby Voice of the County Town iblished every Wednesday Michael Ian Burgess, I The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby Pub Publisher - Managing Editor [y --IllLàl--L - residents for Whitby residents. by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 668-61 Il The Free Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. Regatration No. 5351 TIMOTHY BAINES CommunIty Editor ELIZABETH NOZDRYN Advertising Manager Second Class Mail Registration No. 5351 Budget leak raises question of ethics The recent budget leak has once again raised the issue of journalistic ethics. While Finance Minister Marc Lalonde leafed through the pages of the budget he had not yet released, a television cameraman managed to zoom in on the papers and give us a peak at what Lalonde was about to lay down on us. Although the papers comprised the French version of the budget package, a translation quickly spelled out th.e contents - a $4.6 billion special recovery program and a budget deficit which could rise to $31 billion. Obviously Lalonde must take some of the blame for this flasco. He invited photographers in to take a few "innocent" pictures and laughingly flipped through the budget during the session. Lalonde took the confidential issue of the budget fartoo lightly. This is where the questionable ethics come in. Was the cameraman wrong to zoom in on the papers? He claims he was only trying to get a shot of Lalonde's shoes. Maybe the questionable ethics belong to the producer who decided to use the zoom-in shot on the evening newscast, causing uproar among both politicians and the public. A journalist's cuÏrious instincts were obviously raised by the clowning Lalonde, but there has to be some kind of limit as to what that journalist can film or print. One move of that camera or swipe of the pen has the potential to ruin a career. People are influenced by what they see, hear, or read in the media. In this case, the opposition Torles were scream- ing for.Lalonde's head. Opposition leader Erik Nielson claims that the videotapes in question contained 10 leaks of vital budget information. Lalonde refused to quit and perhaps tarnished his reputation by adding an additional $200,000,000 to the special recovery program. Thus, it has become known as the $200,000,000 mistake. Lalonde attempted to cover his hide by claiming that this increase was really what he wanted all along. The argument for Lalonde's resignation is that any budget leak destroys confidence in govern- ment. If the wrong Information had fallen into en- terprising hands, it could be turned into quick profit before the official release of the budget. As it is, the information that dld appear on our television screens is not likely to help or hinder any entrepreneurs hoping to cash in. Because the media is so powerful and influen- tial, discretion must be used in situations such as the new budget.. A mistake has been made and even if the cameraman filmed the secret papers inadvertently, it was not right to air the clip on television. The TV station got the scoop on other stations, but also perhaps lost som'e of its Inte- grity in the process. If there is such a thing as a journalistic morals code, it has been broken in this instance. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Soccer Club says thanks Not long ago riots in Sao Paulo, Brazil's big industrial city, wouldn't have meant very much to me. Traditional- ly, Canadians have very little notice of Latin America, formally or informally. Politically, economically, cultural- ly, we have been North Americans first, and a part of the Americas as a whole as a distant second. In terms of trade,,we have pursued the so-called third option to the limits of the Pacific rim, and have tended to be half-hearted about the possibility of developing Latin American partnerships. Politically, we have remained steadfastly outside the organization of American states. .Culturally, we have dismissed the Latin countries as a breeding ground for insurrection, juntas-and the samba. That old Canadian posture ignores a number of pre- sent realities: that the world is shrinking rapidly and Latin America has become a close neighbor; that as former colonial powers we have a great deal in common; and that we have a great deal to offer each other. I was in Sao Paulo recently with a Global camera crew shooting a documentary on the street children of Brazil. The street children are really just another manifestation of the realities that caused the rioting. Sao Paulo, which has a population now of an estimated 12 million people, is on its way to becoming the largest city in the world. One of the reasons it is growing so rapidly is that there is a terrific- influx of population from the countryside. A natural disaster like a drought means a new assault on Sao Paulo, and the shanty-towns, the "favelas", spread like a skin disease on unclaimed ground. Sorne of the wire copy I have seen from Sao Paulo suggests that the unemployment rate is about 15 percent in this huge city. But that must refer to the identifiable work force, to the people who do or did have jobs, and the real unemployment rate can probably not be calculated. There are some statistics that are reasonably reliable. The country has a population of 120 million, and half of them are children. Of 60 million children, some nine- teen million of them live below the poverty line, which in Brazil means agony, not mere hardship. Perhaps as many as three million of those poor children are yvithout parents, and live on the streets. Brazil is still deep in recession, with no sign whatever of the recovery which is beginning to make itself felt here in North America, and the govemment faces an insurmountable problem. Brazil is now groping its way towards full democracy. Only weeks ago, ten opposition politicians were installed after the November elections. A riot in Sao Paulo threatens that democracy, and in the long haul, threatens all of us. Its time we took some notice of Latin America and tried to help. Dear Sir: The Whitby Iro- quois Soccer Club would like to thank the Whitby Free Press for the out- standing coverage given our Indoor soccer programme. We cannot over- emphasize the Im- portance of regular publication of these scores to coaches, players' and par- ents. Our sponsors are happy, I am sure too, to see their names so visible. We sincerely hope that those looking for such scores be- come avid readers of The Whitby Free Press. Again,,- our. thanks. e Free Mrvý-i I letters to the edi-er 131 Brock St. N.,Whitby Yours sincerely, lan Kirk, Secretary, W.l.S.C.