The Detroit times., 1914-04-23
~. P" STORIES
WRITTEN FOR The
COMMON PEOPLE
WILL IRWIN.
News Service Used BY Detroit
Times Big Factor In Jour
nalistic Progress
Is GREAT FORCE
FOR THE PUBLIC VEAL
Organization Has Been Thorn
In Side of ReactiOnary
Newspapers

AT q national newspaper confer
ence held by the University OF Wis
tonsin last year. the general man
ger OF the Associated Press rose 10
defend his organization. The Asso.
ciated Press. he said. was colorless,
unbiased. 1t was his constant EN-.
ieavor, IL was the constant endeayor
II his associates, TO keep II so. lie
believed that they had succeeded.
When he had finished. small,
brighteyed young man looking, as
some one has said like the leading
juvenile In a stock company, rose 10
reply This was Roy w. Howard,
president Of the United Press. I'm
sorry he said in effect. but We
haven't succeeded in keeping our
bureau colorless and unbiased We're
1nly human beings and most OF us
nave pretty strong individualities.
We couldn't keep our indiyldUalites
oHt 0Sath6 news, no makec <1>2g har9
: gesriea we don't try we fetf aOoln
the' news as I'VE see IL ANe make
every allowance We can for the other
side. and We don't lie on suppress,
out there still remains the point OF
view Our method is the only way
20 be honest with the publis and with
ourselves" So the old and the new
IN journalism met on the same plat.
form, and held debate--the old gen
GRAFTON, clinginE TO the fallacy that
news can be written from a god like
height of abstract truth biassed and
showing ii not the younger genera
ion, perceivng that humanity sees
truth only from point OF view hon
estiy biassed and knowing il we'll
The Associated Press, which the elder
man represented, is az present our
most powerful force OF journalistic
reaction in the United States, while
ne United Press which the younger
man represented Is our most poWe
lul and liberal and radical force.
Without II, for one am convinced
that We should never have seen the
bipartisan political upheaval OF
1912 And yet the United Press. in
it's present form is only seven years
old ="
Soon after Vandercook died, Roy
Howard became manager OF the whole
service. Howard had not yet passed
his middle twenties. He began life
IS newsboy. he was reporting at
IN age when most boys are in high
school: and he had already done
nearly every kind of editorial work
lie, like NRndercook. held the popu-
lar point OF view He uncovered a
strain OF frst-class executive ability,
and he expanded the original policy.
"Hampered by no tradition of col.
Orless news the managers OF the
United Press proceeded to cover the
world after their own fashion. They
could not yet employ those expert
Ind extremely able correspondents
who had done so much tor the Asso.
ciated Press They had hot the
means. they had not yet developed
the men. And il used TO be said in
the beginning that the United Press
rs compared with the Associated
Press, was technically crude. am
not so sure OF that. These young
men might not have so much under
standing OF rhetoric or so much APP
probation OF a balanced sentence:
but they were able. by the character
Jf their instructions, TO put something
" their own feelings into their news
reports. They expressed characters
tically the popular point OF view.
This instance has often been cited
rs illustrating the difference between
The two bureaus: and il is worth cit.
ing again: When King George was
crowned at Westminster the Associ-
ated Press reported the pomp and
parade OF the event, told of the
massed regiments, the cheering
crowds, the splendid medieval cere-
nony in the Abbey The United Press
did that and more; il tried 10 find
Just how much OF the cheering I'm the
crowds was real enthusiasm and how
much false; IL pictured the hungry
mob Of Whitechapel pouring out to
see their king pass; IL showed its out.
casts struggling for the food dropped
from the picnic-baskets OF more fortu-
nate spectators Here was the point
OF view in action, If | may be allowed
TO mix metaphors The unbiased AS
ISOLATED Press men did not know that
they were biased when they failed to
see the significance OF this fight for
broken victuals.
THE new bureau worked on the
same principles al home
BY such methods the United Press
began TO absorb the new evening pa.
pers as they spfans TIP through the
country. IL has grown from tie orig
nal 800 subscribers In 1907 TO 5l5 in
1914. The Associated Press has, I
believe, about 500 evening clients.
How the two compare in bulk OF cir
ulation no one exactly knows.
III the evening paper were the
nnly factor 10 be considered i'm the
whole field OF journalism this condi-
Jon OF affairs would be almost ideal.
Bit there remains morning journal.
ism: and 10 the higher purposes OF
democracy. morning journalism is eX-
lremely important
"The Associated Press is now prac-
icalIy the only news bureau avail
able for morning journalism You
annCt star morning journal. I'm
his day and age, without the Assoc
lated Press and since the right OF
protest prevents any newcomers in
our larger cities from getting an AS
iuciated Press franchise, this is equiv
8lent TO saying that You cannot start
any more morning journals az all.
1.-THE men in control OF the Assoc
ciated Press themselves admit that
morning circulations are declining
They attribute this TO a variety OF
causes mostly commercial They