The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-26
Years Review Shows News Ell
ficiency of This Organization.
First in War, First in Truth,
First in Homes of COuntrymen.
men GO THRU EVERY DANGER
Wonderful Exhibition of 10y
atty to Associated Press.
More Than One-FOurth STAFF
Called to the COlOrs.

New York, April 26.-The report of
, the board of directors of The Asso-
ciated Press this year is considered of
such unusual interest as to warrant
publication. 1t refers among other
things to the experiences of some As
ISOLATED Press men in the foreign serv-
ice and in making this part public,
the board authorized the insertion in
parentheses of the names of the men
concerned.
The report follows:
To the Members of the Associated
Press:
In earlier reports We have endeav-
ored to summarize briefly the most
important news events of the year.
We make no such attempt this year.
There have been months during which
more epoch-making news has devel-
oped than during some previous years,
and all newspaper men must wonder
whether we shall ever return to for
mer standards of news values. Nor
do enlarge in this report upon the
news gathering achievements of the
organiza ton. With those achievements
have come many inevitable disappoint-
ments. Over-taxed cables, muddled
censorshipS and similar eXigencieS of
war often have upset our plans and
frequently neutralized the resource
fitness of our staff. Yet we have in
comparably the most comprehensive
1
uting news that the world has ever
known.
| OF our men abroad we gratefully
/ acknowledge our appreciation. Tor
/ pedoes and mines at sea and shot
and shell on land have held no fears
| for them. Their escapes amid dangers
have been countless. One Drank NJ.
| America) was knocked down by
! Zeppelin bomb in London but worked
all that night as uSual--mereIy an
: in n
flee building which has itself been hit
| by such shells; another (Robert T.
| Small) fell into the icy Somme but
| rode 35 miles to cable the story of
| the first American in Peronne; an
other Charles T. Thompson) was on
the highest rampant of the Castle of
Gorilla when a shell buried it and
him under earth, but that after
noon he wrote a story which thrilled
| the press of Europe as we'll as of the
| United States; another (Walter Whit
i FEM was shot in the knee on Rus
sian observation post; another Charles
S. Smith) after a bayonet and fist en-
counter al Hardin. escaped with pain
| full lacerations; another Games Hick-
! ey) was blown thru glass door by
/ the Halifax explosion but before dress
7 ing his wounds was resourceful
F, enough to find in demolished build
| ing the terminus of the cable to the
West Indies and by way of Bermuda
and Havana sent to New York the first
direct message out of Halifax Such
incidents are not unusual in the ser
vice of your organization.
Good Name of 4. p. Stands.
Thru the years the Associated Press
| has by maintaining its standa rds of
accurate reporting preserved the
i best traditions of journalism. The
| good name of the Associated Press
has not been impaired. The public
confidence in our dispatches has stead
| of dor
now hesitate to give credence to
many published reports until assured
that they were carried by our asso-
| citation.
The sensational Zimmerman note
with its report of diplomatic intrigue
in Mexico was universally accepted as
genuine because the Associated Press
said it was. The bombardment of
Paris at long range was ridiculed by
other press associations and by ord
nance experts. but the Paris bureau of
the Associated Press, which for two
davs alone reported this startling de-
| yelopment of the war to American
readers convinced the skeptical quite
| as thoroly as did the oftlclal conIlr-
| nation of its report.
When the governments action in
taking over the Dutch ships in Ameri-
can harbors was reported in Europe
several chancellories inquired in
| European capitals whether the AS
ISOLATED Press announced this fact
This reputation for telling the truth on
the part of the Associated Press is
recognized now quite as generally
thruout diplomatic and journalistic
circles abroad as it is in the United
states, and it is an asset of member
shin in this organization that is of the
utmost value.
Lose Staff Men in Service.
During the last year the war has
naturally drawn heavily upon our
oil n n
management not only not to seek eX-
emption from government service on
behalf of it's employees, but to encour-
age such service. Men who a year ago
were serving this organization are now
by hundreds in the military and naval
or other service of the United States
our operators in particular have been
able to render valuable service for
which their training has peculiarly
fitted them.
more than one-fourth of our staff, and
many more are soon to leave u.s. In
this period of war as the activities and
RESPONSIBILITIES of our service nave
steadily increased it is source OF
great pride to know that those upon
whom the burden has fallen have met
their obligations with measure OF
faithfulness and intelligence for which
the management is deeply grateful.
BY direction of the board of direc-
tors. as a partial recognition of the eff
ficiency of the staff the life of each
employe in the United States while in
the service has been insured for the
benefit of his heirs or dependents in
the sum of $1,000. Because of the
greater risk involved established COM
panies will not accept insurance upon
the lives of our men in foreign service
but the board has itself assumed LA
|; bility on their behalf.
While the growth in membership
was unusually large during the year.
the members should not mistake the
policy as to growth. Unlike the pri-
vately owned and profit making news
! agencies we do not traffic in news.
We welcome only such additions to
membership as strengthen the news