Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-17
THE GOSPEL OF


propaganda and news poisoned at
its sources. The radicals rave a good
deal about it. According to them
Wall Street, or special interests
put forth this propaganda. AS a
matter of fact we know of NO prop
uganda agency more alive and per-
sistent than that of the radicals
themselves. A good deal of it
comes from Russia and is paid for
by Russian propaganda funds.
When Russian subjects were starv-
ing to death. for bread there was
money to spend for propaganda in
this and other countries. No doubt
big business spends some money
for propaganda. Any one who
opened the mail that comes daily
to the desk of the editor of The
Tribune would be convinced OF
that fact. He would also be con
WINGED that big business is not the
only source of this propaganda
stuff, or even the principal source.
We get it from every quarter. II
we were to mention offhand the
principal source Of this propagan-
da stuff we would say that it came
from wouldbe social reformers
who want to change the habits or
institutions of the country. We
also Judge that much of it is sent
out at the expense of cranks who
have no Interior motive in their
propaganda.
Propaganda stuff is usually news
strained news-with all the facts
suppressed that would initiate
against the purpose of the propa-
gandist, and facts emphasized and
exaggerated that would serve his
purpose. Much of the foreign
news we get and which is printed
in The Tribune is censored before
it leaves Europe. Besides, foreign
correspondents who print articles
about conditions in foreign coun-
tries which do not please the gov
e~rnrnents, find obstacles and an
noyances placed in their way OF
gathering the news. 1t is well to
take a grain of salt with all for
eign news these days, no matter
from what source it comes 1t is
alse necessary to take a whole tub
full of salt with all the news that
m from China and Japan.
There it is almost impossible to
learn the truth in the first place,
and to get the truth out Of the
country in the second place.
Whether it be in cable, wireless,
or letters, the Chinese and Japan
csc government reads about every
thing written about them and only
lets such statements of fact pass
as suits their purpose.
One OF the hardest things The
Associated Press has to contend
with in this country is propaganda.
Time and again the editors of the
nation receive a wire from The
Associated Press to kill some item
that was sent out by them because
they have discovered in the mean
time that it is propaganda. While
big business uses propaganda from
time to time to serve its purpose
they are lily white in this respect
compared with the alleged reform
ers who thunder against Wall
Street and try to get publicity for
statements that are in birth false
and prejudiced. We do not know
any person more reckless in the
handling of figures than the simon
pure reformer. He makes nothing
of a false statement of facts if it
will serve his purpose.
The honest newspaper editor
tries to protect his readers against
propaganda, be it political, relig-
ious, social or international. He
can be only partially successful at
that because he cannot always de-
tect propaganda when he gets it.
The Associated Press is his best
protection and that is not always
proof against this evil influence,
try as it may to eliminate it. In
these modern times most newspa-
per readers form their opinions not
from the editorial columns of the
newspapers they read. but from
the news columns. That would be
all right if they were sure the
news columns gave them not only
the facts, but all the facts needed
to form a correct judgment. But
they cannot be sure Of that. It is
easy to suppress some fact or facts
that would put a very different
phase on a story and lead to a diff
ferent conclusion. The editor who
' 49, c%o~1 dc~As MT Lnoxu of