New-York tribune., 1918-03-19


This is wholly aside from the indifferent
character of some of the matter which
is sent it's needless duplcation.'
Erie c. Hopwood, Managing Editor,
"The Cleveland Plain Dealer:
"Our opinion as to the value of publicity
matter sent out from Washington is that
the practice is greatly overdone. OCCASION
ally we get excellent material in this way.
Sometimes find a considerable part of
the service useful miscellany and grape
vine for early editions. The remainder Of
it, which 1 should say is the major portion,
burdens the mails, wastes good white paper
and annoys the editors"
II. K. Gale, Managing Editor, "The St:
Paul Dispatch":
"The publicity being sent out by the gov.
ernment at Washington is wasted to great
extent, in my Judgment If it were cut down
about 80 per cent I think the newspapers
would make more Of it than they do at
present. tremendous volume of it goes
into wastebasker, and l know into the
waatebaskcts of most other newspapers
Arthur B. KrocA, Managing Editor, "The
Louisville Cour;er-Journal":
The Courier-Journal' and <The Louisville
Times with request for publicity receives
the same consideration that emanating
from the hundreds of government sources
now engaged in publicity work. always
try to grant any request made along this
line by governmental agents, but am COM
PEELED to say that the extent, type and con-
tent of great deal of this matter require
most considerate attitude to enable it to
get by. | find the publicity service of the
United States Marine Corps the best in the
country and it is very seldom that it does
not justly itself"
w. F. Wiley, Managing Editor, "The
Cincinnati Enquirer:
"The va ste of paper and printers ink by
the press agents representing the various
bureaus, Loards, divisions and committees
at Washington is little short of criminal
The Enquirer in common with other
newspapers, is literally swamped with mat
ter of this kind, SO per cent of which,
hazard at guess, is positively worthless
The Enquirer has cndeavored since the
outbreak OF the war to assist the govern
ment Ill every way possible. In this CO.
operative spirit we have used great deal
OF matter pertaining to conscription, recruit
ing, Red Cross, Y. NJ. C. A. and Libertv
Loan campaigns, and, in fact, in every other
worthy work being done by the government
which depended for success on wide pub
l1clty. or the matter furnished by the
washington bureaus, committees, etc., for
these purposes l dare say we have used not
more than l per cent.
"A halt should be called upon this pro-
cedure at once if there is any way to do Il
1t is not only ridiculous, but extremely ex
penslve, and more or less annoying to those
hN n1l1c A.
ter being sent out to find an occasional
grain in all the chaff."
k. L. Stout, Managing Editor, "The Kan.
sas City STAR:
"Of the great quantity of covarnmor4
press matter which comes to The Star, we
ma very, very little availabl. for use and
that IN the great majority of instances bas
to be rewritten. We are simply ;nunda+oa
with stuff from the myriad activities of ~
government, much of it possessing mort IN
some degree, but not written in q wav to
make 1t attractive in our field. We have fol-
iowea the policy of liberality in the use of
government matter and we are alwavs o|ad
of chance to use it whom orr news ea
science permits" WI
Charles B. Welch, Vice-President and
Managing Editor, "The Tacoma
Tribune":
ncSt lhalcatlon Tor serious nuisance in
nooo 10y; ~ government propaganda now clog
glng the mails is this fact. Vow ,ottau
wen; SO lar astray in present demoralized
posSolnce service that l am using telepranh;c
"'shc letter to say amen to your campa;rn
against new national waste Departmental
propaganda now so voluminous that il is
"o longer possible for one editor and stenoc
1apher to read it, let alone use same"
W. - 'arnigan, Managing Editor, "The
Des Moincs Capital:
os'eve you are on thc right track IN
",cN,HE 10 secure q reform in tho wav !,
M'i'ch , uhclc Sam is sending out his nnb.
ic''S. might state that we do NOT uso
one-'ehth OF the publicity stuff that wo ,o-
ceiVe every day from the various denart-
hehts at Washington. This is not because
we 40 not care to use it, but because wa
simply nave not the space, nor have wa +ho
EDITORS necessary to 60 over this stuff and
put IL IN shape for our columns"
>usse" Nent' Managing Editor, "The
Knoxville Journal and Tr;h,..
ny far the greater part Of the public;t,
,'a'ter sent us by government agencies mrst
~ i'"t'''eh before use. A considerahlo
p'"poi'ion "' OF 1t Is not worth rewriting
'or inc most part, these articles as sept
,"'s ."s "o'n'he TO grip the interest of tho
.;' no punch Whatever. Nearly all ara
e"'ireiy TOO long. With rewritinc na.o.
sary, the multiplicity of Articles san. "s'.s- @
various government agencies siwnl,, 10y .'I w
u.s. 'Py swamps
ror propaganda work in aronsru l.,
.erest IN war needs and war o;r, v, A.,