New-York tribune., 1920-08-27

ers in the United States who have
managed to preserve any trace of rep
utation for independence. In fact you
could count them on the fingers of one
hand. Two of them would be H. L.
Mcncken and Haywood Broun, of The
New York Tribune. These two have
proven their spirit by reviewing The
Brass Check
But he continued in less fatterins
vein: "Why does Mr.. Broun not men
ton The Associated Press? Not one
hint does he give to his reader that
in The Brass Check there are half
dozen chapters full of detailed and
specific evidence of treachery and
falsehood committed by that power
full organization. And how comes it
that Mr.. Broun never once mentions
what The Brass Check has to say
about The New York Tribune and the
specific case of falsifcation of which
that great organ has been guilty? Can
it be because Mr.. Broun is the chief
literary reviewer of The New York
Tribune ?"
Accordingly, on the Sunday follow
ing May 3, we printed everything in
The Brass Check which touched upon
The Tribune. None of the charges
which Mr. Sinclair brought seemed
very damnlng to US, and we did not
attempt any detailed answer. Later
1t was proved to our satisfaction by
the reporter, one Of whose stories was
cited by Mr.. Sinclair as inaccurate
that the charge was not we'll founded
and that the author of The Brass Check
was mistaken in accusing The Trib-
une of having perverted news in this
particular instance.
We have no hesitation in saying
again, as we have said before, that
Sinclairs book is interesting and that
some of his case is excellent. We
think in some respects it is irrelevant
and ineticiently drawn. 1T seems to
us" we wrote on March %, that every
body who feels that our newspapers
are inclined to color the news with
editorial opinion, with sensationalism
and with vulgarity has a just cause
of grievance against Upton Sinclair
for his The Brass Check. Study Of
American journalism He has hurt
an excellent case by overstatement and
he has clouded it by introducing a
mass of evidence which is trihing and
often entirely beside the point. For
instance, the heaviest Indictment that
can be made against the newspapers
of America lies in the case of Russia.
1t is difficult to see how anybody can
deny to-day that vast amount Of mis-
information has been printed about
conditions in Soviet Russia"
There was an element of unfairnes S.
IN that, we realize in looking back.
because even if Sinclair's indictment
was not ideal in method and manner
1t was move in the direction of Gre
ating more critical public for the
American newspaper. Since the ap-
pearance of The Brass Check a much
more able criticism has been made
by The New Republic in its study OF
the military news from Russia printed
in The New York Times. But public
examination of American newspapers,
whether it be done well or only mod
erately well, has been all too rare in
America. Sinclair deserves the honors
due to the pioneers in this field, among
whom are VIII Irwin and Samuel Hop
kins Adams
We are ready to welcome others, and
yet we think it was fair to say of Sim
clalr's book: I'VE are perfectly will
ing to admit that Upton Sinclair has
received harsh and often unjust at
tention from American newspapers.
The fact that he was considered a
radical, though in truth a moderate,