The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-06-03

washington, Il. u, june g IN
senate committee on rules is re
ported to be making quiet investi
CATION. This is a recurring activity
of information by newspaper CORE
spondents, a practice heartily con
demned by the profession as
whole. However, it is the usua
thing for investigating committee:
TO fail in their search for organ
lied leaks.
A leak is the obtaining Of ad
vance information of importan
government activities and the fur
nishing Of the information either
to persons who will be able to maks
money out of the early knowledge
or to newspapers which will derive
the advantage of beating thail
rivals. The word leak is meant tc
imply that the information is OBJ
tanned as the result OF some IN
ethical or downright unlawful con
venience between the man obtain
ing the information and some gov
eminent employee.
The most famous recent leak was
the peace leak which, it was al
dollars being made by Wall Street
spectators who came into posses
sion of advance information that
the president intended writing Ger
many a note seeking to induce
peace. The investigation revealed
that some information had emanat-
ed from the White house prema-
turely. Even more recently, a leak
was discovered from the supreme
court of the United States
However, more advance .publica-
tons of information, which appear
on the surface to result from leaks
have no such explanations. News
in Washington which is of particu-
lar value, both to stock exchange
spectators and to newspapers de-
string to Guido their rivals in early
publication, is the news of decisions
in big classes before such bodies
as the supreme court, the interstate
commerce commission, the federal
trade commission or special com
mittees.
How Advance News Is Secured.
Here is the way advance news of
decisions not infrequently is pub
lished. The big press associations.
some OF the important trade papers
and newspapers have men assigned
to particular WORN who are espe-
cially equipped for its RESPONSE
bilities. 1t is recognized by news
managers, for instance, that an ad-
vantage lies in having a man famil-
lar with railroad matters covering
the news of the interstate com
MERGE commission. A big case is
filed. Hearings are held at which
witnesses for or against the pro
posed rate change in question are
heard Lawyers argue the points
before the commission. This is all
public and any newspaper man or
any member of the public can hear
the testimony and the arguments.
Now a conscientious correspond
ent covering the interstate con-
merce commission will be familiar
with the general provisions of the
act to regulate commerce. He will
know the merits of the pending
case. He will hear and study all
the testimony and the arguments.
He Will know personally the mem
bers of the commission who decide
the case, with all their preiudices
and pet theories of regulation.
As the members of the commits
sion study the case, the reporter
will study the case. Then when he
thinks, or hears through gossip,
that the decision is about ready 10
be announced, he will write his
own decision, following the law
and the force OF the testimony and
argument. The members of the
commission are made of the same
flesh and blood that the
reporter is made Of. In many cases
they are no more careful and pains
taking than he Actually, in some
cases they are not as we'll informed
On the law and precedent. 1t is
not at all unlikely that the mem
oers of the commission and the re-
porter will arrive at the same con
cluslon. The reporter will write a
news article forecasting the deci-
sion. When the decision comes
Town it will be found that, with
minor differences, the conclusions
are the same. Someone, usually
some less enterprising competitor.
will claim a leak. p!
This can happen with any num-
Der OF situations. To be sure the
reporter takes a chance, but if he
s conservative and painstaking he
will be right in a surprising num-
Der of forecasts. The same pro-
,edure can be followed in stories
about policies. By studying the
policy of such body as the federal
'eserve board, which governs credit
in the United States to
large extent, careful reporter