Newsday Vs. Grossman

Last week, Karl Grossman, who covers county government for The Star and The Southampton Press, found himself invited to sit in on a private meeting of the group called Standing for Truth About Radiation with Brookhaven National Laboratory officials. To Alec Baldwin, the actor and activist who spoke at the session, Mr. Grossman appeared to be a member. A few others reportedly thought he was there in an advisory capacity. In his own words, however, he was there "as a journalist," having been invited because he had complained that he wasn't being kept up to date on the organization's activities and because he was anxious to learn as much as he could about what Brookhaven representatives had to say. Later, in his own words, he clarified his position, writing, "I have no membership or involvement in any political group. . . . I would not even join the Sierra Club."

That was not enough to satisfy Newsday, whose own reporter was barred from the meeting and whose James Klurfeld editorialized on it Sunday, referring to Mr. Grossman as among "phony journalists who can't separate themselves from a pet cause. . . ."

Karl Grossman is not only not phony he is about as real and independent a journalist as you can find. To be sure, Mr. Grossman combines activism and journalism in a way more common to the alternative press than to large corporate newspapers. As a stringer for several weeklies on county affairs, he always tries to include "the other side" in his coverage and he accepts our editing for comprehensiveness or balance without question. His own opinions, which often are strong, are expressed in a signed column, "Suffolk Closeup."

Mr. Grossman augments the little money he receives as a reporter and columnist with teaching, both at Southampton College and the State University at Old Westbury, and by writing and lecturing on the issues he considers most serious - nuclear issues. Aren't they?

If Mr. Grossman made a mistake last week, it was in his failure to leave the STAR-B.N.L. meeting when another reporter was being barred. His sense of Newsday's own biases and his concern about the seriousness of the issues at hand got the best of any expression of journalistic solidarity. That was unfortunate. In the end, the public will only be able to respond correctly to the Brookhaven saga if as many lenses as possible focus on it.