Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-08

'WASdlNGION1
committee on rules is reported to be max
ing quiet investigation of leaks Of news
from sources of government information.
This is recurring activity which on one
occasion has brought to light unethical
handling of information by newspaper cor
respondents, a practice heartily condemned
by the profession as a whole However, it
is the usual thing for Investigating commit
tees who fail in their search for organized
leaks.
leak is the obtaining Of advance in
formation of important government activ1-
ties and the furnishing of this information
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 information is OBJ
tanned as the result Of some unethical or
downright unlawful connivance between the
government employee
The most recent leak was the peace leak
which, it was alleged, resulted in several
million dollars being made by Wall street
spectators who came into possession Of ad-
vance information that the president was in
tending writing Germany a note seeking to
induce peace. The investigation revealed
that some information had emanated from
the White House prematurely. Even more
recently, a leak was discovered from the
supreme court of the United States.
However, most advance publications Of
information, which appear on the surface
to result from leaks, have no such expla-
x1,s nh io 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 fed
eral trade commission or special commit
tees.
How Advance News Is Secured
Here is the way advance news OF de-
cisions not infrequently Is published. The
big press associations, some Of the 1mpor-
tant trade papers and newspapers have
men assigned to do particular work who are
especially equipped for it's responsibilities.
1t is recognized by news managers, for in
stance that an advantage lies in having
man familiar with railroad matters COW
ering the news of the interstate commerce
commission. A big case is filed. Hear
ings are held at which witnesses for or
against the proposed rate change in >ques-
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 conscientious correspondent cover
ing the interstate commerce 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 members of the commission who decide
the case with all their prejudices and pet
theories of regulation.
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 deci-
sion, 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 we'll informed
on the law and precedent. It is not at all
unlikely that the members Of the commits
sion and the reporter will arrive at the
same conclusion. The reporter will write
a news article forecasting the decision.
When the decision ZONES down 1t will be
found that, with minor differences the con-
illusions are the same. Someone, usually
some less enterprising competitor, will claim
a leak.
This can happen with any number of
situations. To be sure, the reporter takes
a 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 body as
the federal reserve board, which governs
credit conditions in the United States to a
large extent, careful reporter can fore