Hmm. This seems to be drawn by John Byrne and, most likely, a dream sequence. JJJ drives Spider-Man crazy, but he'd never hit him. Spidey takes it easy when he beats on "regular" criminals, so he wouldn't punch a 50-something newspaper man... even if he deserved it.
In fact, John Byrne came up with the idea that Clark Kent's powers didn't "kick in" until he was in his late teens because, to him, a child with super-strength wouldn't be able to resist hitting a bully. There was even some kind of "it takes time for Kryptonian cells to absorb solar energy" pseudo-science explanation.