Arizona republican., 1913-04-28
ASSOCIATED PRESS IS
WIDELY Y KNOWN BUT
VAGUELY UNDERSTOOD

the original collection OF news
throughout tha world.
The volume of the news reports 10
memher.s varies greatly. ranging f~am
five hundred words daily by tele-
graph or telephone to papers able TO
utilize but a small amount of general
news matter. to fifty thousand words
daily, or thirty-fi newspaper col
umns in the more important cities.
The method of collecting foreign
news has been greatly changed in re-
cent years. Formerly the Associated
Press collected its foreign service il
London, receiving the news there Of
the Reuter- company of the Wolff
agency oi Germany. aud of the Havas
agency OF France. with smaller affili-
ated agencies in Italy and Spain.
The objection to this method was
that the news as received in London
was alleged TO be impressed with an
English bias-in any event it was not
collected from an American view
point.
To meet this criticism the Associ9t-
ed Press mas established regular bu-
reaus of its own in all the great news
and sJaffs in London, Paris. Berlin.
Rome. St Petersburg, Vienna. Toxic.
Pekine, Mexico City and Havana, in
addition to hundreds of indivdu1i
correspondents scattered throughout
the world
1t is probable that in the foreign
news field the extraordinary genius
of Melville f. Stone. general manager
of the Associated Jress, has been most
striIingly exhibited. Just prior To the
RussO-Japanese war Mr.. Stone secIr-
ed from the czar Of Russia the aboli-
ton OF the censorship and newspaper
men still remember the remarkable
frankness with which the Russian
government gave out the news of the
Russian reverses in that conflict
Orders eXpediting the messages OF
the Associated Press We're issued az
his instance by the German. French.
Italian and Russian governments, and
as result it has come to be common
for European capitals to get the first
news Of the continental events through
the Associated Press reports cabled
back from New York
one beneficial result coming from
this more direct relationship IS to be
found in the minimizing Of the i'll
, effect of the occasional outbreak OF
some utterly inconsequential German
French. English, or Japanese ''yel-
| low sporadicaHy abusing the United
| States and its people.
! Formerly profound significance Of
/ q widespread hostility was attached
! TO such outpOurings With the closer
understanding that comes from more
intimate knowledge. we now under
stand the relative Importance of the
newspapers Of other countries as we
are able to weigh and grade our own.
The disadvantage Of lack Of news
touch is strikingly apparent in the
( relations of the United States with
the Central and South American ma
tions. These countries secure their
news Of the United States by way of
Europe and it consists mainly of
murders. lynchings, and embezzle-
ments. The antipathv to the United
States by the people of these coun-
{ tries is undoubtedly largely due to
the false perspective given by their
newspapers. If in truth we were the
kind of people they are led to be-
lieve we are they would be fully
justified in their attitude.
1t has been the aim of those in
trusted with the management of The
Associated Press to secure as its re-
presentatives both at home and
abroad men of high character and
attainments, and it may, I think. be
fairly assumed that the reputation
for accuracy and fairness that its
service enjoys is largely to be at
tributed to- an unusual measure OF
success in this endeavor.
While the Associated Press is gen
orally held in good esteem, l would
not be understood as Indicating that
it has been exempt from criticism
, and attack.
If in campaign all the candi-
dates. or their managers or pres:
agents did not accuse the Associated
Press Of the grossest partisanshiI
as against the particular candidacy
in which they We're interested. thost
bearing the responsibilities of tn,
service would feel convinced tha
something was radically wrong ant
would look with suspicion on the re
port themselves.
This is but human nature. Durini
the last campaign for the presidentia
nominations every candidateS eithe
0 in person or by proxy expressed hi
conviction that the Associated Pres
@ was favorable to somebody else.
a Mr. Wilson's press agent asserte
= that our service was pro- Clark. an
s in the opinion of Speaker Clark w
S had sold out to the Wilson people
n Mr.. Taft's managers felt that he wa
;. not being given a fair show and NJ
: Roosevelt was firm in his convictiO
that the avenues of information ha
s been chOked to his disadvantage
: OF course later we know shat NJ
II Wilson does not share the only-for
5 publication views of his press ager
IS and Speaker Clark is as emphatic
) his withdrawal as in his hasty chan
ges Mr. Tafts managers reali2
= tht the Associated Press cannot re
+ ! port speeches that he does not MAX
=, and Mr.. Roosevelt must see a hi
- Imorous side to the suggestion TIL;
n. any one has interfered with his ge
Of ting "A fairly adequate representatio
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