Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-05-06
WHAT ABOUT PRESS DISPATCHES ?

The morning paper harps about being an Associated
Press" paper-as if there something in that to be
proud Of It's bunk that you often real in slow, sleepy
proud Of It's bunk that you often read IN slow, sleepy
getting superior class of news when they are not.
The Capital Journal is not an Associated Press
paper 1t could be if it wanted to bebut it does not
want to be- The publisher has on his desk this morning
letter from the Pacific manager OF the Associated Press
soliciting his membership. This is only one of twenty
similar letters received in the past year, supplemented
with personal visits from representatives OF the assOca
ton.
We have no grudge against the Associated Press We
think it good organization doing the best 1t can
to serve it's patrons and through them the public The
Journal publisher member Of the Associated Press
in Boise Idaho and Eugene Oregon for years and the
Eugene Daily Guard Of which he is president at the pres
ent time takes the leased wire afternoon service OF the
Associated Press. So we know good deal about the
organization and the service it furnishes We have
never before been client of United Press and are retain
ing itsseryice only because think it is little bet
ter in all respects for afternoon papers than the Assocl
ated Press 1t is veer and more wideawake seems to
us. The older association is prOsier slower and ultra
conservative Perhaps it has old retaners to take care
of in important positions and this fact has weakened its
value as a news gathering organization.
To be frank with the public this matter of the relative
value of telegraph wire service is matter OF individual
opinion among newspaper publishers Hundreds believe
as the Capital Journal does that the United Press the
best service an afternoon paper can secure and are slip
ping away from the Associated Press. Others still cling
to the belief that the old organization is preferable
Twenty OF twenty-five years ago the Associated Press
was the strongest of the gathering organizations
and gained the prestige upon which some odfogy pub
fishers still lay great stress forgetting that the world has
moved far ahead in quarter of century Now there
are the United Press the International Hearst news
service the Pacific news service and several more, all
strong reliable and progressive The value of Associ
ated Press franchise" once so much vaunted is now in
the estimation of many of the leading publishers OF this
country an despecaly for afternoon papers, not worth
the paper it is printed written They are being
voluntarily relinuuished all over the country.
To sum up the Capital Journal is endeayoing only to
give good public service 1t wants to print readable news
and reliable news 1t has its choice of at least three full
leased wire servcesand the difference in cost is not
material These are the United Press the Associated
Press and the Pacific News Service working IN conJunc-
ton with the International service of the Hearst
papers We have prejudice against any OF these organ
izatons and particular partlay toward either eX-
cept that we now take the United Press and are quite well
satisfied with it, We think it is liked by our readers,
since the growth in the circulation OF the Capital J0unal
during the past two years has been recOrdbreaker IN
newspaper fields OF similar SIZE We no reason for
making change. If at any time we feel that another
service will better the public we shall not hesitate
to change
In the meantime don't let that old buncombe about an
Associated press paper fool you That kind OF bOastng
has been out Of fashion everywhere except in certain
fosszed Salem paper for many years It's the character
of paper gives its readers that counts now days
not the brand on its service Recognition Of this fact
accounts for the success of the Capital Journal and
great many other newspapers
Colonel Roosevelt makes very patriotic appeal for
n, ka, ~ fhA