Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-06-05
The HQskin Letter
FOR LEAKS.

Washington, D. c.. June 2.-The
senate committee or rules is reported
to be making a quiet inve stigation of
leaks of news from sources of gov
eminent information. This is q recur-
ring activity which on one or two oc-
~casions has brought to light unethical
handling of information by newspaper
correspondents, a practice heartily
condemned . by the profession as a
whole. However, it is the usual thing
for investigating committees 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
nivance between the man obtaining the
information and some government en-
ploye.
The most famous recent leak was
the peace leak which, it was alleged,
resulted in several million dollars be-
Ing made by Wall street spectators
who came into possession of advance
information that the president intended
writing Germany a note seeking to in
duce peace. The investigation re-
vealed that some information had
emanated from the White House pre-
maturely. Even more recently, a leak
was discovered from the supreme
court of the United States.
However, most advance publications.
of information, which appea: IN the
surface to result from leaks, have no
such explanations. News in Washing
ton which is of particular value, both
to stock exchange spectators and to
newspapers desiring to Guido their
rivals in early publication, is the news
of decisions in big cases before such
bodies as the supreme court, the In
terstate Commerce commission. the
Federal Trade commission or special
committees.
How Advance News Is Secured
Here is the way advance news Of
decisions not ~infrequently is published.
The big associations, some of the i'm
portant trade papers and newspapers
have men assigned to particular work
who are especially equipped for its .e-
sp~onsibilities. It is recognized by
news managers. for instance. that on
advantage lies in having a man familiar
with railroad matters covering the
news of the Interstate Commerce
commission. A big case is filed.
Hearings are held at which witnesses
for or against the proposed 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 correspondent
covering the Interstate Commerce
commission will be familiar with the
general provisions of the act to regu-
merits Of the pending case. He will
hear and study all the testimony and
the arguments. He will know per-
sonally the members of the commits
sion who decide the case, with all their
prejudices and pet theories of regu-
lation.
AS the members Of the commission
study the case, the reporter will study
the case. Then when he thinks. or
hears through gossip. that the decision
is about ready to 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 gen
eral flesh and blood that the reporter
is made of In many cases they are
no more careful and painstaking than
he. Actually, in some cases they are
not as well informed on the law and
precedent. 1t is not at all unlikely
that the members of the commission
and the reporter will arrive at the
1900 n-oi rTIa ra~1rtor viii
write a news article forecasting the
decision. When the decision comes
down it will be found that. with
minor differences. the conclusions are
the same. Someone, usually some less
en%terprising competitor. will claim a
leak.
This can happen with any number
Of situations. To be sure. the re-
porter takes q chance, but if he is
conservative and painstaking he will
be right in a surprising number OF
forecasts. The same procedure can
be followed in stories about policies.
BY studying the policy of such a body
as the federal reserve board, which
governs credit conditions in the
United States to a large extent. a
careful reporter can forecast quite
accurately what the mex step in the
formulation of a policy will he.
Fine Scheme Goes Wrong
One of the most elaborate arrange
ments to get advance news was made
some years ago, not by a newspaper
correspondent but by a broker who
was eager TO obtain advance intlma-
tions Of supreme court decisions
Some of the justices of the supreme
court Of the United States lecture IN
law classes at the Washington unlver-
sites. This broker learned that Mr.
Justice Harlan lectured at one OF the
schools and was in the habit of illus
trating his lectures by references to
would permit such eonfiscation OF
the productive agencies of the