Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-04-29

Mr.. Roosevelt must see a humorous
side to the suggestion that anyone
has interfered with his getting fair
" adequate representation on the first
page
With all this, however, goes a fun
damental misunderstanding of the
functions of the Associated Press.
The individual correspondent or re-
porter for a given newspaper or a
small group of newspapers having
common bias may be permitted TO in
dulge in partisanship or in propagan-
| da.
| This is absolutely not to be permit
| ted in the Associated Press. No bias !
/ of any sort can be allowed Our func- /
/ ton is to supply our members with .
news, not views; with news as it
happens-not as we may want it to T.
happen. Intensely as its manage (
ment may sympathize with any move /
ment, no propaganda in its behalf can
be tolerated. Very jealousy indeed
does the membership guard against
q their agency going outside its allotted
duties and argus-eyed is the censor
ship of every handler of our copy"
1t is not. naturally, to be claimed
that no mistakes are made. They are
made and will be made. But in the
very nature Of the business, with the
heart so worn upon the sleeve, detec-
; ton very swiftly follows, and the mis-
, takes are few and far between.
, The desire to enlist the Associated
: Press in propaganda or advocacy is
usually to be found at the bottom of
, criticisms of its service. Added to
. this often is misinformation as TO the
real facts and sometimes, though hap
! PLY rarely, actual malice.
The service from Russia. for exam
t pie, has been harshly criticized by
some who thought that the province
] of the Associated Press was to under
i take a crusade against the Russian
I government because of its anti-Semi-
} tic attitude. Our theory of our obi
( cations is that we should report the
facts as they occur without fear or
n favor. but that it is no part of our
e duty to draw indictemnts save as the
+ facts alone are damning.
4 The case of the Koreans charged
/, with plot to assassinate Governor
- General Terauchi has recently been
S much discussed.
These Koreans were almost all con
# verified Christians and the American
d missionaries in Korea we're naturally
i intensely interested in the matter.
eY 1t was freely alleged that the Asso-
: ciated Press, unduly influenced by
e the Japanese government, had sup
e pressed the fact that these Koreans
/. had made confessions, duplicating
s American missionaries as accessories
2 to the plot, and had subsequently re-
e tracted these confessions. asserting
s. that they had been extorted by atrOci
# Gus torture inflicted by the Japanese
e police. the intimation being also that
5, the missionaries were in peril by rea
g son of the repudiated confessions.
9 Based on this some of the mission
t airy authorities here became much per.
2 turbed, and indeed one of the great
If New York papers printed news and
q editorial articles criticising the Asso
y ciated Press for the suppression OF
l. the matter,
AS a matter o. fact an inspection
T. of the news service received by the
o. Associated Press and distributed Il
n its members showed that it carried
IN the full facts; the confessions, the i'm
S, plications of the missionaries, the al
ed legations of torture, the fact that the
i'd allegation of torture was believed b!
is the missionaries. and also the fac
u that the Japanese denied the torturt
" stories and attached no cTedenc'
whatever to the prisoners statement
n guilty of some dereliction.
Id On learning the real situation tn
at New York newspaper in question
m promptly printed an ample amend
honorable, but l do not doubt tina
IS, many still ignorant of the retractio
i'd feel that the Associated Press wa
of gugilty of some dereIiction.
he Another cause of frequent misaI
ey prehension is in the general tendenc
re- of newspaper readers TO attribute an!
I'D thing seen in print to the Associate
as Press, and it is constantly necessar
It'll to explain that some violently part
S. san or inaccurate article was tn
ng work of special" and not a part {
lal our service.
Ter Away back in the middle of tn
mis- last century an alliance, offensive an
100 defensive, e41SJSu DebNSeH llS VI
New York Associated Press, new
ed selling organization owned by seve
in New York papers, and the Wester
lad Union Telegraph company under II
Nr. terms of which the New York Assoc
not ated Press dealt solely with the Yves
dr. ern Union and the Western Union
ion turn gave discriminating rates and a
lad vantages to the New York Associate
Press.
Nr. Although this arrangement lin Il
Tor light of today a very improper on'
ent was abolished more than 80 years ag
In many people think that it still exis
Irg and occasionally some one arts,
hat fierceiv to denounce this unbolv al
or ance
md The simple truth is that the Ass