More TV

THE Student-Faculty Advisory Council has presented Dean Ford with a proposal for long-needed changes in the University's television policy. The proposal, approved by a 26-1 vote at Tuesday's meeting, asks that non-commercial TV stations be permitted to televise any news event at Harvard--not just those the Administration considered "balanced."

William Bentinck-Smith, assistant to President Pusey and the man who makes the decisions on television broadcasts, has repeatedly declined to define exactly what "balance" means. The closest definition he has given of the policy would describe as balanced an event airing both sides of an argument, such as a speech with a question-and-answer period provided.

Apart from the possible arbitrariness of decisions made on this basis, the present policy clearly contradicts a basic belief of President Pusey: individuals have the right to express themselves as they see fit at Harvard. By this logic, the University certainly has no right to decide which student and faculty ideas are fit for consumption by the outside world. Harvard should not shrink back from allowing individuals to express themselves through media.

Furthermore, the SFAC has set down two important ground rules to safeguard the University's reputation. TV stations will be required to make it clear that Harvard does not necessarily endorse the views presented. They will also have to apply for broadcast permission in advance and inform the sponsors of the event.

Television stations do have their own guidelines on balance--some of them federal regulations. The only station involved in Harvard broadcasts, WGBH-TV, has close ties with the University and is notoriously circumspect in its presentations.

The Council of Deans (or whoever will deal with this resolution) should give the matter the same careful consideration that the SFAC has given it. The Dean's review of TV policy earlier this month clearly ignored very important issues. The University should formulate a new policy based on the SFAC proposal, true to Harvard's concept of individual freedom of expression.