The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-11-27
Municipal Newspapers


at the Los Angeles city election by
means Of an initiative petition, an or
dinance making provision for the
publication in every detail of week
" Journal, at the expense OF the
municipality AMI 10 be distribt ted
to the citizens without charge &c
them, is to be accepted or rejected
at the polls
Los Angeles is very progressive
but whether L. is progressive enough
TO want a fres newspaper. published
y, the city and odi;ed by municipal
commission, we would not dare 10
say. Tie outline OF the proposed or
Ginance, which seems worth while to
print. is OF 10 rnalistic interest be-
cause of its pioneer character Ger
tain american cities, like New York
and Boston, have in the past printed
periodical publications SLED with sta
tistica. information concerning the
municipal government or public ad-
yertisements of municipal. contracts
or the municipal ordinances, but the
Los Angeles scheme may fairly be
regarded as an innovation The fol.
lowing is synopsis of the proposed
ordinance
/. Provides for municipal news
paper commission OF three members,
appointed by the mayor and council.
the appointments to he subject TO the
referendum provisions of the city
charter.
2. The commission is given power
to appoint the necessary employees
and to publish the paper, including
the power to receive commercial adj
vertisements, the receipts therefrom
to apply on the expense o. publishing
the paper.
8. The paper to be distributed free
throughout the city as far as the
| funds of the department will allow.
4. The paper to be published at
| least once a week, TO publish the
municipal news without bias, to re-
frain from any argument presented
as its own concerning religious or
national political questions or the
candidacy of any candidate.
5. Any argument presented by
said paper as its own upon municipal
issues shall be in harmony with the
| official policies of the city.
6. In every issue of the paper a
certain amount of space, the equiva.
| lent Of the ordinary newspaper
| column. is to be set aside for the
| free use of each political organiza.
| ton. that at a state or city election
polls 3 per cent OF the vote of the
city, the only restriction upon the
matter published by said political or.
CARNATIONS in their respective
spaces, being that II shall be matter
lawful for newspaper publication and
shall have reference to public affairs
! or public men. On similar terms the
mayor or any member of the city
| council may have half column. In
| dependent candidates for office not at
| filiated with any organization and
polling a per cent vote have similar
| rights to five square inches OF
| space-otherwise, they pay regular
rates. The press agents of the poll
tical organizations, but not othel
press agents, may be paid for theil
services.
Z. The paper shall not be thu
partisan organ of any organization o.
of the city administration, but shall
maintain the highest possible stand
ard OF truth and fairness.
s. An appropriation is made o
500 week and the advertising re
ceipts of the paper
The critical eye will immediatel
note that the proposed municipal al
preparation of 500 a week, in add
ton to the expected receipts fror
commercial advertisements is dis
tressingly high from the purely mi
nicipal point OF view and distressing
" low from any other point OF view
One of the first things the munic
pal newspaper commission would d.
mand, after publication had been b.
gun. would be an increased appropri'
ton by the city council. At the en-
of the first quarter. the honorabl
gentlemen would be surprised
discover what newspaper finanC
really involved Nor can one refrai
from saying that a municipal new
paper that belongs TO the peop
and is controlled by them" should
conducted on such lofty plane I
unselhsh regard for the commc
veal that no debasing and commerC
alizing things like advertisement
could possibly be countenanced III
promoters of Los Angeles municip
newspaper must have overlook
the fact of counting room intiuen'
that most malign source OF CORFU
ton, as its critics avow, in Il
American press. Nothing could
more shocking than to see a muniS
pal newspaper "under pressure fro
mere advertisers.
The ordinance makes IL clear tn
\ the officials in power would enjoy /
4 far the greater advantage in regai
TO space at all times no less tina
during political campaigns. To |
! sure. each party or organization thi
| had polled 3 per cent of the tot
vote would have column in each /
sue. but the mayor and all member
| of the council would have also ha
column each. It would follow IN,
| no political organization and II
members could secure more spaC
than about one-sixth of the spat
| granted to the members OF the elf
/ government, and that no independel