The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-06-24
CENSORSHIP OF NEWS
RANKLES CITY HEADS
Department Chiefs Don't Take
Kindly TO Mayors New
Publicity Plan.
.BOTTLED up AND SAT ON
Public Dependent Upon DR..
Blan. Who Tells It What
Ii Should Know.

some or the department chiefs In thu
Municipal Building are chafng under
what they call n system Of news censor
snip established bv Mayor Mitchell
They'd like to tell the public all that's
going on. as was sometimes the custom In
the vanished proficiency DAYS bu, they
complain that they are bottled IN and
can only reach the newspapers through
the mayors office In the form OF reports
prepared or approved by Or. Blan.
This Dr. Blan-Louis Blan--is quits
hgure behlnd the scenes He Is the sd-
ministration's official press agent--the
hrst one New York ever had. so far a.
any one at City Hail remembers He hs.
Ph. ID. college degree. hence the Doc
tor He ls not In the civil list as a press
agent or censor. OF course lie Is norul-
many an examiner m the office Of tbs
Commissioned OF Accounts. appointed this
year nj salary OF $4,000 But several
months ago he was assigned 90 publicity
a new job for the Commit ssloner OF Ac-
counts--and his earnest labors have
broadened until they touch good many
OF the forty departments In the Municipal
Building. And wherever the doctor soes
Reporters "Turnrd Down"
For Instance, n certain Commissioner In.
formed reporters several DAYS ago that
two interesting stories bearing Oh the
work OF the department would be ready
yesterday. At the appointed time the
news men appeared.
I'm sorry" sad the Commissioner
but since YOU were here before rye been
told ] mustn't give out any Information
| that matters Of this sort are to be handled
by Dr. Blan'
/ Another instance Young woman
writer got from street Cleaning Commits
sioner Fetherston material for a SUNDAY
magazine article. As she had promised
/ she submitted the finished article TO Mr.
Fetherston to make sure OF its exactness
I'm sorry" said the missioner. a.
per formula. but | have been informed
that stories Of this sort must go through
DR. Blan"
The woman FASTENED to DR.. Blan He
said everything OF that kind had TO he
approved by himself and the Mayor and
he would FIX this information up" him
self The article has not been printed yet.
Mr.. Mitchell Is much interested in hav-
ing his lieutenants give accounts of their
work to the public In the form OF reports
every three months or so. SO is Dr. Blan.
who prepares the reports and rends them
to the Mayors Office for approval and dts
tribution. The Commissioners would like
TO catch the cty's eye through the news
papers when the news In fresh. Some of
them also argue that the responsible head
OF department. not an examiner from
the Commissioner OF Accounts. should be
the judge OF what's going on that the
public ought to hear about
Several Commissioners. who gave out
Information before young Or. Blan no,
around. have been sat on" The result
is extreme reticence In those departments
now. Occasionally, the doctor himself has
been chlded from above. But he continues
TO rsmble and to sit on the Municipal
Building LID.
Thus far no facts that would indicate
anything except supreme efficiency In the
,, city Departmental there are any--hacs
, appeared in DR. Blan's reports