New-York tribune., 1920-05-09
Sinclair on The Tribune
Come of Our Past Laid Bare by the Author
of Brass Check

Speaker had 'scathingly rebuked the
Socialist leader. The members had
swarmed around the Socialists. shak
ing their fists in their faces, threaten
ing them with physical violence; also,
the Socialist leader had refused to
stand at the playing of the national
anthem. Says Feigenbaum: The
whole story was fabrication, pure
and simple, out of whole CLOTH"
In the short time at our disposal
during busy week we have not been
able to run this story down. 1t is en-
tirely possible that Mr. Sinclair is quite
correct, but the story is rather to be
set down as q piece of careless report
ing than as the result of an editorial
conspiracy.
"As | write, the correspondent of The
New York Tribune in Mexico, L. j. de
Becker, resigns, and states as his rea-
son that his dispatches were suppressed
or cut in The Tribune Office"
Concerning the resignation of Mr.
de Becker, we are informed that it
was brought about because The Tribune
and Mr.. de Becker did not agree on
the editorial policy which the paper
was following in regard to Mexican
affairs. We are informed that the dis
pute was not about news articles but
about editorials.
'lf you do not like papers which are
bought and sold you may read The
! New York Evening Telegram, which
has remained the property of the Ben
nett estate and is working for the
pocketbook of the Bennett estate,
/ forty-one editions every week In the
morning you may read The Herald,
which is working for the same estate.
If you get tired of the point of view
of that estate, you may try the estate
of Whitelaw Reid, capitalist -
| thinn that includes all the direct
references to The Tribune in Mr.. Sin
c,air's book
W l4Ic ne LiUuHS Is, Oh course,
many shades more conservative than
Mr.. Sinclair would like to have it
more conservative, perhaps, than the
staff itself-it seems to US that we are
a much fairer newspaper than he gives
MS credit for. He has no right to COM
plain of our editorial attitude. 1t is
the God given ight Of every newspaper
in America to have at least one page
where it may be chuckleheaded in its
own particular way. We do, with oc-'
casional exceptions, to be sure, print
the news. Mir. Sinclair will find that
during the last mayoralty campaign
in New York The Tribune printed more
= of HillQuit's speeches than any other
newspaper in New York except "The
Call" and that we have consistently
given full play to the expression of
radicals and others with whose politi-
cal opinions we differed very gravely
ed torially.
For my own part can say that I
have been on The Tribune long enough
now to see it change out from office
boy to managing editor, not once or
twice but q score of times. | have seen
10 managing editors, 405 copy readers
and a million copy boys. Yet in all
this time have not yet run into policy
have never been told Don't write
that" or "You must take this attitude"
Saying which, i proceed to rap the top
of my desk lightly with my knuckles.
Although The Brass Check" is not
the most judicious book in the world
it does represent an interesting, though
partisan, study of American newspapers.
We recommend it to readers. 1t may
be purchased directly from Upton Sin
clair, who lives in Pasadena, In one
respect we don't think Mr.. Sinclair
entirely fair. Throughout he speaks
as if the one hope for absolute truth
fulness in newspapers lay in the rad
ical press. But the radical press is