The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-06-06
Looking for Leaks
By FREDERIC J. HAskIN

WASHINGTON, D. c., June e.
The Senate Committee on Rules is
reported to be making a quiet inves-
tigation of leaks of news from sources
of Government information. This is
q recurring activity which on one or
two occasions has brought to light
unethical handling OF information by
newspaper correspondents, practice
heartily condemned by the profession
as whole. However, It is the usual
thing for investigating commissees to
fail in their search for organized
| leaks.
A leak is the obtaining OF advance
information of important Government
activities and the furnishing of the in
formation either to persons who will
be able to make money out of the
early knowledge or to newspapers
which will derive the advantage of
beating their rivals. The word leak
| is meant to imply that the informa-
ton is obtained as the result of some
unethical or downright unlawful con-
nfvance between the man obtaining
| the information and some Govern
ment employee.
The most famous recent leak was
| the Peak Leak which, it was alleged
resulted in several million dollars be
| ing made Joy Wall Street spectators
who came into possession of advance
| information that the President intend
| ed writing Germany a note seeking to
| induce peace. The investigation re
! vealed that some information had EN-
anated from the White House prema
turely. Even more recently, a leah
was discovered from the Supreme
Court of the United States.
j However, most advance publications
of information, which appear on the
surface to result from leaks, have nc
such explanations. News in Wash
ington which is of particular value
both to stock exchange spectators
and to newspapers desiring to outde
their rivals in early publication, is the
news of decisions in big cases before
such bodies as the Supreme Court
| the Interstate Commerce Commission
the Federal Trade Commission or spe
cial committees.
How Advance News Is Secured
| Here is the way advance news o
decisions not infrequently is publish
ed The big press associations, som'
4 of the important trade papers ant
newspapers have men assigned to par
ticular work who are especially equip
ped for it's responsibilities. 1t is rec
ognized by news managers, for in
stance. that an advantage lies in hay
ing a man familiar with railroad mat
ters covering the news of the Inter
/ state Commerce Commission. A BIZ
| case is filed Hearings are held a
which witnesses for or against tn
proposed rate change in question ar,
heard Lawyers argue the points be
fore the Commission. This is all pub
lie and any newspaper man or an
member of the public can hear tn
testimony and the arguments.
Now a conscientious correspondent
covering the Interstate Commerc
Commission will be familiar with tn
general provisions of the Act to Res
ulate Commerce He will know tn
merits of the pending case. He wi
4 hear and study all the testimony an
the arguments. He will know person
ally the members of the Commissio
, who decide the case. with all thei
prejudices and pet theories of regl
lation
AS the members of the Commissio
: study the case, the reporter will stud
the case Then when he thinks. c
hears through gossip, that the dec
sion is about ready to be announced
he will write his own decision, fo
lowing the law and the force of tn
testimony and argument. The men
, bers of the Commission are made {