The Silent Treatment

In Jersey City's moldy grey City Hall last week, the word went out: "The Journal gets nothing from us." In the heat of an election victory over four of the five city commission candidates hand-picked by Democratic Boss John V. Kenny, the new administration, led by State Senator James F. Murray Jr. (TIME, May 27), had vowed revenge on the Jersey Journal (circ. 98,565), which had fiercely supported the Kenny ticket during the election campaign. To pry the news out of City Hall, Journal Editor Gene ("Lucky") Farrell sent over four additional staffers--to no avail. To every question the reporters asked, city officials gave the same answer: "Send Gene Farrell down."

In the two weeks before election, Sam Newhouse's Journal had supported the losing ticket with more than 240 column-inches of editorials. The paper did not have to wait long for the showdown. At City Hall on election night 2,000 Murray supporters spotted five Journal reporters and advanced on the newsmen chanting: "Throw 'em out!" A flying wedge of police separated the reporters from the mob. At another end of the building, chief Journal Photographer Eric Groething, 32, raised his camera over his head and warned four angry men who had backed him against a wall: "The first guy that touches me--I'll break his head." In all, eight Journal reporters and three photographers were attacked or threatened.

While Winner Murray and fellow officials were adamant in their refusal to talk to any Journalists except Gene Farrell, able Editor Farrell was equally firm in declining the invitation. "A reporter normally gets interviews," he said. "These are normal times." In fact, the situation was so abnormal that the Journal was forced to run United Press stories on city government developments in Jersey City; new subscriptions had dropped off 70% since the election. The rival Hudson Dispatch (circ. 56.825), which had expressed less vigorous opposition to the Murray ticket, not only got the run of City Hall but was expected this week to land the city government's legal advertising, a plum that had long been shared by the two papers. The new administration's most eloquent gesture, Jersey-fashion, was to fire a onetime Journal newsman who landed on the city payroll under Boss Kenny (TIME, March 25) and appoint a Hudson Dispatch reporter to a $7,500 police commission job.

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