uring media access — including camera access — to newsworthy events, a principle that, to some people, might justify televising this execution. We believe, however, that in the extraordinary case of Mr. McVeigh's execution the public interest will be well served by the presence of 10 media witnesses who will be in the federal prison in Terre Haute along with the family members, although without television cameras. What might be gained by publicly televising this man's death would be very hard to balance against its ultimate cultural cost.April 12, 2001 Texas Steps Toward Death Penalty ReferendumBy JIM YARDLEY Expanded CoverageIn Depth: Criminal Justice Join a Discussion on The Death Penalty OUSTON, April 11 — In a surprising vote in the state that leads the nation in putting inmates to death, a committee in the Texas Legislature today endorsed a resolution that would allow voters to decide whether to impose a two- year moratorium on executions while an independent commission examined the fairness of the capital punishment system.The vote by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee comes as legislators are considering a host of death penalty changes, partly in response to the intensive and critical scrutiny of the state's capital punishment in last year's presidential campaign of Gov. George W. Bush. Texas was criticized for failing to provide adequate legal counsel for poor defendants, for executing mentally retarded defendants and for a clemency process shrouded in secrecy."No Texan wants to be a party to the execution of an innocent man or woman," Senator Eliot Shapleigh, a Democrat from El Paso who sponsored the bill, said in a statement.The committee vote is only a first step. The resolution must now pass the Senate, then the House and receive the signature of Gov. Rick Perry.Mr. Perry's aide, Gene Acuna, said this afternoon that the governor opposed a moratorium and would not likely sign a bill. Legisla...
