The chronicle=news., 1914-08-11
the PResstASA 7-I
PUBLIC UTILITY

From the Springfield (Mass.) RepuD-
lican.
The Republican has examined
most OF the attacks on the Associated
Press with lively interest. The ten
dency to regard news collecting
agency as monopolistic public util-
ity that should be regulated and re-
strained by the government like In
terstate railroads is one OF the no.
table aspects OF recent criticism. In
no case. however. has this idea been
developed logically, SO as to reveal
clearly the sharp contradiction be-
tween It and the principle of free
|speech and free press, which is a
bulwark OF democratic civilization.
Tho superficiality OF the anonymous
writer on the Associated Press in the
July Atlantic is particularly appar-
cnt in his easy solution called gov
ernment restraint" for q news agency
which has much In common with
the ordinary public utility monop-
oly." and which should therefore be
treated like a public utility corpora
tion.'' .r...r .-. 4...rl
Newspapers are already under the
restraint OF the libel laws. Within
year the Republican has been the
defendant in libel suit, which is
lost. To establish new form OF
government supervision. regulation
and restraint along the lines sug-
gcsted. however. with the inevitable
government press commission to do
the supervising. regulating and re-
straining, would mean nothing less
than the revival of the medieval cen
sorship. which still fIourishes In such
a despotic and backward country as
Russia or In such capital rs Mex
leo City during the, military dicta-
torship. ''1f its news were none the
less unfair" says the medievalist At
Tantic writer. some arrangement
could presumably be made for gov
ernment restraint"
The Associated Press itself prints
nothing. Individual papers print the
news furnished by 1t. and the owners
Of those papers are legally RESPONSE
BILE for the printing of unfair"
statements or inaccurate reports.
Government regulations or supervis-
ion that begins before the news Is
printed is necessarily government
censorship in the United States quite
as much as in Turkey or Russia. And
the supervision would necessarily
have to begin before the news was
printed. II the government were to
supervise the output OF the Associ-
ated Press. One can see in this plan
nothing. in effect. hut a government
official In every Associated Press Of
flee censoring the dispatches sent to
the. newspapers taking the Associat-
ed Press service. How, else could
government regulation be made prac-
tidal and effective?
II the Associated Press were snper-
vised, all news agencies should be su-
rervised, whether they were large or
small cooperative or proprietary.
There are allkinds in this country.
In principle, also. 1t is certain that
the government supervision should
extend to every individual newspaper
because in It's important local field
each newspaper does It's own news
gathering and Is often the source OF
important news dispatches sent forth
to the country. When 1t is recalled
that the Associated Press depends
to a large extent upon its members
Tor reports OF events in the localities
Of those members, the vital import
ance of establishing censorship
over the newspapers individually
ol, I,n IN S,yl,1
vance the government regulation
idea. We shall not labor this point.
but we are convinced that direct
government supervision of the pub
fishing of the newspapers them
selves is as craving need as govern
ment supervision of an agency like
the Associated Press. For the worst
abuses chargcable to the press are
to be seen in their rankest growth
on particular journals often very
widely circulated and rich enough to
gather their own news from the ends
of the earth Independently of all
other agencies.
Even If government regulation of
the press were in the least consistent
with the constitutional guarantees of
freedom Of speaking and printing.
the vicious absurdity Of the suggest
ed government censorship over news
could be demonstrated What is "un-
fair" news? Who can be presumed
TO be an infallible arbiter of such
question? A military censorship
in time Of war is permissible and
often desirable, for obvious reasons
The military censor of news dis
patches cuts out anything that
might aid the enemy. But in the
civil life Of a democracy, no possible
analogy to a military system exists.
A government censorship of news is