Evening star., 1924-04-22
Make Two Contributions.

! two contributions-one that of theil
local news. another money assess
ment covering their equitable pro-
| portion of the expense Of collecting
! and distributing the news of the
world. including the local news con-
tributed by each member
"The affairs of the organization
are supervised by an elected board OF
directors, composed of fifteen news
paper men, selected from all sections
of the country-trustees for the com
mon interests of the membership
| These directors are, obligated to see
that the report measures up, within
human limitations, to the ideals
have outlined.
The directors, however, take NO
part in the daily direction OF the re-
rort acting rather as a body OF
censors, duty they share with
every member and, indeed, with
every newspaper reader.
Has Large Stan.
The actual collection and handling
of the reports are done by a very
large staff, world scattered, under
the direction Of the general manager,
and in the hands Of this staff is
placed the honor of the Associated
Press, as through them we either live
up to or betray our ideals.
IT believe, and every member of
tho board believes. that the work of
this staff is one of the wonders of the
world. News does not collect itself
human endeavor, human sacrifice.
human brain are prodigally expend-
cd in order that you and | may be
promptly and accurately informed of
the daily happenings Of the world.
THE pI ime instruction to eyery
Associated Press man is that his re-
port of every event must, above all
be accurate and unbiased
These men are faithful to their
trusts, and we know it-know it be-
yond peradventure, for it is vital to
US as newspaper men that we should
know it.
Mistakes Inevitable.
'T make no claim of inerrancy
Where the human factor is concern
ed mistakes are inevitable
What we do know is that &c
members of the Associated Press we
demand an honest, unbiased report.
and that we are getting it.
1T is. of course, true that in the
many years of the existence of the
Associated Press there have been
charges of bias, unfairpess or pnis-
statement. These charges have al
ways been exhaustively investigated.
II an error has been made. as has
sometimes inevitably been the case.
that error has been promptly cor
rected More often it has been found
that the complainant was in error as
to what the Associated Press had ac-
tually carried or had attributed to it
items which We're the product of spe-
cIal correspondents or individual
newspapers
From the most material standpoint
Intelligent men do not poison the
bread that they eat-the members of
the Associated Press and the working
staff would be doing that very thing
of they defiled the news by which
they live.
Anecdote of Washington.
Turning now from the Associated
Press and its mission, let me be re-
minded at this point of story cur
rent in Washington last year.
"A very high official had a really
undeserved reputation of extreme
reticence, and it is related that at
dinner the lady on his right opened
the conversation by saying that her
neighbor had it in his power to lose
or win a wager for her, as she had
made bet that however reserved he
might, have been with others that he
would talk with her. Then came a
measurable pause, followed by You
lose 1 have spoken of this reputa-
tion for tactiturnity as undeServed.
In washington, as also elsewhere,
we have many men who talk a great
deal and say very little. We have a
few who talk little but say a great
deal when they do talk.
I'VE are greatly blessed as a nation
and as group today that our honor
guest has in superlative degree the
faculty and the desire to make abSo-
Iutely clear his matured judgment on
the subjects that engage the atten-
tion of our people and that he ex-
presses that judgment with no un-
necessary words.
''Fugitive From Injustice
"A distinguished member of our
craft. Mr. William Hard. has aptly