Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-11
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS.

MANY TIMES we are asked
AVA why we do not censor the
news sent US by the Associated
Press. Complaint is made that too
much prominence is given by it to
stories Of crime, or that it contains
propaganda designe to favor some
political party, some religion, some
social class, some organization or
some cult. Perhaps the most COM
mon charge is that it favors the
propaganda of Wall street or the
money power and is antagonistic to
the rights of men-espeeially or
ganized labor. We know from
from long experience that none of
these things are true. The Asso-
ciated Press is human and doubt
less it sometimes makes mistakes,
but it is always on guard against
lies. 1t is always on guard against
propaganda. Very little of this
escapes the vigilance of its editors.
The Associated Press seeks the
truth about the news. And this fact
is slowly being borne into the
minds of newspaper readers SO that
now an Associated Press news dis
patch is accepted as the truth by
the large majority of newspaper
readers.
The Associated Press issues a
bulletin to its members. In a re-
cent copy we find this tribute. 1t
quotes from Ellis Searles, editor
OF the official organ Of the United
Mine Workers, paying tribute to
its absolute fairness in reporting
the news of the coal miners strike
a few months ago. Mr.. Searles was
officially charged with the duty Of
giving out the miners side of the
news during the strike. The Asso-
ciated Press Bulletin says:
Ellis Searles, editor of the Uni
ted Mine Workers Journal, IN sub
hitting his report to the interna-
tional executive board of the Uni
ted Mine Workers of America on
the recent nationwide coal strike,
was definite in his praise of the
various press associations for the
manner in which they treated the
miners. Without exception" Mr..
Searles declared, the press asso-
Citations were eminently fair with
the miners, and I thought the
board should know it,"
"The section of his report refer
ring to the news gathering asso-
Citations follows:
Elm addition to what the news
papers themselves did for us dur
ing the time of the strike I wish
also to call your attention to the
the splendid treatment accorded
the miners by the press socla-
tons. There has been for years a
feeling among certain elements in
the labor movement that The As
ISOLATED Press, the United Press,
the international News Service,
the United News, the Universal
Service, and other press assocla-
tons, were a~ntagonistic to labor
and that they we're unfair in their
treatment of labor affairs. This
impression is wrong and it should
be corrected whenever and where
ever possible. The fact is that the
United Mine Workers of America
w a large debt of gratitude to all
Of these press associations for the
generous and fair minded nne
in which they gave the miners an
opportunity to present their case
to the public. / wrote dozens of
articles for them and they spread
them broadcast all over the country
over their wires for publication IN
the newspapers,
mot in a single instance did any
n of these press associations re-
fuse to carry our matter. On the
other hand I arranged with them
10 keep in touch with me continu-
ously at Washington so that I
might supply them with everything
we had that would be Of interest.
"All of the press associations
assigned competent and experience
ed reporters to e me every day
for that purpose, and some Of you
members Of this board were in my
rooms at the hotel at Washington
on several occasions when report
ers for the press associations call
ed to get stories"
The attitude Of the Associated
Press toward salacious news
stories is indicated in this gener-
al instruction to all its cores