The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-10-28
Associated Press Accuracy.

| Ii would be well II The Associa tet
Press its purposes and practices wer
better understood alike by reader ant
editor The institution bears a very i'm
portant relation to American life and i
well worth studying. Its kilograms arr
printed primarily in $50 newspapers ant
are copied or rewritten i'm unnumberet
thousands OF other daily, weekly o.
monthly publications. II il safe to sa,
that they are read by over .fourth'
of the people OF the country, and from
the intelligence they convey practically
everyone gathers his information re
speeting current events.
All will agree that II is important
to use no stronger word, that the mar
ket reports be trustworthy. What as
surance is there, not only that the re-
ports OF The Associated Press are hon
est, but that out of the necessities oil
the case, they must be more certain Of
accuracy than any other market re-
portsy One good reason arises out OF
the magnitude Of the associations work
There are persons who think it would
be better TO have half.dozen small
agencies acting in sharp competition
but this is a mistake Such rivalry
would doubtless tend to the greatest
celebrity in gathering the news. But
such rivalry would not, from any point
of view, tend to greater accuracy. And
it is far less important that the citizen
get prompt news than that he gets true
news. However desirable it may be 10
be first in the field in the presentation
Of news, and this feature of the work
is not to be undervalued still its repu-
tation for truth and strict impartiality
is the best asset of The Associated
Press. And no smaller agency can pos
sibly give as great guarantee for ae-
curacy or impartiality.
First there are the traditions of half
a century which must be lived up to.
This spirit which animates every one in
the service is good deal, but it is
not all. More important is the fact
that every telegram of The Associated
Press is subjected to such degree of
censorship as to make untruthful or
biased reports practically impossible.
Every one familiar with the work knows
it is impossible for any one in the serv-
ice, from the general manager to the
least important agent at the most re-
mote point, TO send out an untmthful
dispatch and escape detection. One may
write a biased or inaccurate statement
for single newspaper and succeed with
it, but this cannot be done with the
argus-eyed millions who read the dis
patches OF The Associated Press. OBJ
viously then, the very magnitude OF The
Associated Press work tends to make
truthfulness and impartiality in the
service imperative. II cannot be used
to grind anyone's axe, to serve any
special interest, or to help any political
party or faction or propaganda.
This is not laying claim to any great
virtue 1t is saying that, under its sys
tenn of operation and in view of the mil
lions of critics passing upon its work,
The Associated Press is automatically
truthful and fair. If man complains
that The Associated Press is run in the
interest of this party. or that, it is per-
feetly clear that what he wants is not
fair play, but a leaning his way. As
one evidence of the truthfulness Of The
Associated Press reports, it is signif-
cant that, during the existence of the
present organizatio damages have new
err been paid in any action for libel.