WH1TBYFRMEPRESS, WEDNEST)AY, OCTOBER 17, 1990,PAGE 7 PAG SVEN Press -freedom? The'army has flnafly retreated from Oka, the summer mige.over, the Warriors in custody, the'bridges open, the land returning to normal Canada may neyer be the smre. Unless we have been living on the moon we all have meen the scenes: stone-throwing mobe attacking children, women and old men; white mobe churning into near-riots; the confiising final urrender that brought no diglty to either aide. * Such thinga might neyer hav happened if Brian Mulroney were Prime Ministeroftihfilcouintry. But the scenes that didn't make the nightly television news are deeper and more fightening. - ~ ~ - Listen to Peter Kuitenbrouwer of the Montreal Gazette: 71 aw two policeman attacking a cameraman. They grabbed bis '11<1TJE3~~IR~EOJ>7M(&I TV caera and tarted wrestling him for it ... My phetographer took two pictures of tbim and then in the panic h e took ail of bis film out of bis pocketmsud aid, 'Take MY film and get into whatever una- and get back to, the office." Hmstori l fot an isolated incident. During the tandoff, reporters told of police putting loaded guns te thefr heads. Several told of the confiscation cf TV videocassettes or film. Poice ~ destroyed a microphone belonging te a reporter for a Montreal radio Some press menibers dlaim that police posed as journalists te gather information from Mohawks. Inoeinident, tree photographers at Oka were crdered by police at gunpoint te hand over filmsoigplc bsn citizens. These and other abuses are reported in the current issue cf Bulletin, a publication by the Canadian Association of Journalists. Granted, police were not the only cnes picking on the press. 'Mohawks were acused several times cf pointing loaded gens at heads ofjournalists. - And because many cf the Warriore identified the Montreal rGazette'as unsyznpathetic te the Mohawk cause, Gazette reporters were.blocked frem access to the blcckade. That led te a walkout cf al reportçrs frcm the scène. (They eventualy went back.) Thé tewnsfolk at Oa were aise upset with the media. Car aeriais were*ripped cff; reporters, camera crews threatened. Te mcst observers, the important point cf Oha lay in what it said about our treatment cf native peoples; about how frustrations over centuries cf land dlaims finally gave rise te the tbreat cf violence. Hew, rnany asked, can we criticize South Africa when we treat .y: our native populations sel shabbily. Ail important stuif, granted *':. In the midet cf ail this it may seem frivolous te utter concernsa~~d.-~-, about press freedcm sand constitutienal rights. One cf the basic .*.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. :Z- . tenets cf reporting- no one ceres what problenis you had ini getting the stery. Readers are interested only in the try. One can argue that the wbole Oha standofi was staged for the WHITBY PSYCIATRIC HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION BU]ILDING, C. 1940 press. Without cameras and reporters there, notbing would happen. This picture shows the original entrance cf the administration building, built in 1925, the Therefore, what the presgot as a result is thefr own fault.lsofteoiia optlbidnsob csrue.Anwetac à ul n198 And sure, Oka was netbing if net a media event, phumuied ls fh rgnlhoptlbidnst e osrce.Anwetrnewsbiti 98 attee naio A n nent onalaent TiHthe oha n aksWhltby ArdIIWS photo spesk for the Mohawks? surplus at the end orf 1965. <The rest cf us, who it durnbly by? * Arnold G. Stapleten, Director cf Personnel at General Motors cf Canada, is guest speaker The Mohawk suimer le now bohind us. But as the curtein drops, at Anderson HEigh Sol's fifth annual commencement exercises on Oct. 23. we'hould be aware that what we bave seen may be but the firet act The opening cf schosfr community use is gaining wieacptn hisfrtyer cf severel. The next time: anymwi The next act may not bo with native Canadiens. 125 YEARfl AGO It could be with pro-iffersas, francophones, Western fo h hrdy coe 2 85eiino h Reformera, pro-choicers, socialiste, right-wmngers, anycue. And once WITBY CHRONICIZ again we can show how willing we are, in th e beat cf the moment, te A fire at the Whitby Match Factory resulted in $100 damnage. Cupn asic the rm. * hree Whitby Grammar Schocl students will be attending the University of Toronto this Suspend civil liberties. faill Throw a few people in jail. E*Hanilton and Company is advertising "Furs, new millinery and mantles ini the' latest And one day after mt four or ive or six in this serial play, we will styles." wake up te flnd we are a banana republic. Well, maybe an apple repub lie. Bansuas don't grow wel bers. *A farm je being scld by public auction at Alexander's Hotel, Brooklin,. to pay off a mortgage. Almost as badly as civil liberties sud press freedein._____ __________________________