Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-05-08
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

80
The Editor and Publisher: The
Associated Press during the past yeal
has been the subject Of many attacks
in congress and elsewhere by mel
who have tried to make it appear that
the organization is Il serious menace
to the freedom of the press. The
colossal ignorance Of most Of these
meu il ;hnazi ing" Senator Works and
others OF his type labor under the de.
fusion that Abe Associated Press is
Il monopoly and that, for some reason
or other, it is colOring the news that
it sends to the newspapers throughout
the United States. The impression
is given by these Would-bc rrfOrmers
that the Associated Press ought to
be curbed and placed under govern
ment supervision.
If those who attack the Associated
Press would devote a few hours to
making inquiries concerning the ma
lulC Vi lilo VI SiliiLitloll Nv VIVA"
be spared public ridicule for their is'
nOrance.
The Associated Press, as is well
known to men who are engaged in the
newspaper business, is a cooperative
institution. It's aim is not to pay div
idends or to accumulate a surplus.
hut rather to gather the news from
all over the world and distribute it to
it's members. Each of the newspa-
pers is obliged to furnish the AssOcia-
ton with the new originating in it's
own city and vicinity. The reports
must be accurate and unbiased and
are printed by all without question as
to their authenticity. Owing to the
nature of the organization. composed
as it is Of newspapers representing
every shade of opinion in politics, the
news the A. P. furnishes its members
must be impartial. There can be no
repression Of important facts, no col
OEllS Oh Tie ntWS, lUllllllS Dul
straightforward, honest statements.
During heated political campaigns a
hot-headed member will now and then
assert that n party, usually the n
to which he is opposed, is being ia
vOred in the Associated Press dis
patches because more is published
concerning it than the others. Such
a charge as this is foolish and untrue.
r The, ASSOCIATED, Press is obliged to
-, repolt the n political happenings as
! they occur without reference to par
ty.ai'Some days there may be a great.
ar volume Of ews concerning one
party than the other, and a few days
later the reverse may happen. News
is news, no matter to what party it
relates.
Complaint has been made that the
Associated Press is a monopoly be-
cause it dominates the n~eWs-gather-
ing field and will not supply all news
papers with its service. AS it is a
cooperative and not a money-making
institution it certainly has the right
to declare who shall and who shall
not belong to its membership. Even
commercial houses do not sell goods
to all who may want them.
An Associated Press membership
has a distinct monetary value, which
is always taken unto consideration
in the sale Of a paper. These men,
berships are eagerly sought by pub
llshers because they confer the ex-
elusive Eight, except in very large
cities, to the news service of the AS
ISOLATION. ST all newspapers were adj
mitted to it's privileges these men,
'berships would possess no monetary
value whatever.
The Associated Press today is un-
doubtedly the largest news gathering
organization int the United States, If
not in the world. Through the foreign
agencies with which it is allied it is
able to cover the entire field at a
minimum of expense. At present it
costs about three million dollars a
year to gather and transmit the news
to it's members, and all this work is
done without monetary profit either
to the association or its members, ex-
cept from a news standpoint.
The Associated Press is not the on
" news organization in the country