Evening star., 1925-03-08
Why Associated Press Holds Unique
Place Among World News Catherers

tional history. The rapid growth Of monopoly
and special privilege and the brazen associa-
tion Of moneyed interests and political parties
in thai period will not be disputed. And re-
fer to 1t only to make the point that the at
tempt to influence the public politically through
the news columns, however well intended and
however enlightened those who directed
the policy Of the newspapers failed to develop
that sense of individual responsibility which
must be the bulwark Of any democracy.
1t was then that farsighted publishers came
10 reaHze that national progress and national i.
safety itself were dependent upon aroused
and enlightened public opinion and that this
never could be assured until the millions con-
stitutng the electorate were made to know and
melted to think
So in 1892 was born the Associated Press Of
Today, a cooperative organization making no
profits. but operated on a cost basis. with a
membership Of newspapers representing every
political. social and religious prediction, and
with the supreme and single mission Of gather
ing and distributing the significant facts of
world events without fear or favor and without
editorial comment
This conception of journalism was es-
sentially revolutionary. From the start It en-
countered the outraged hostility Of private and
selfish interests. 1t required faith and courage
to make 1t effective, and In the history of
journalism there is no more glorious and in
spring page than that which records the strug-
gle of Melville E. Stone. for more than a quar-
ter of century the general manager of the
r.
president. and Frank B. Noyes, now serving his
twenty-hfth year president, and their
ciates to bring to fruition the creation their
genius had conceived.
High STANDARD of Journalism
Whether these men were inspired like the
prophets of old actuated by motives
of material self-preservation, shall not at
tempt to say; but, II the latter is true they
builded better than they knew. They raised a
standard of journalism that today is recognized
the world over as representing the highest
ideals of the profession. In cooperation the
member newspapers set a mark which as in
dividuAls they might not have attained, but
toward which individual effort is irresistiby
drawn Thus the level Of news values has been
steadily raised and the public taste for
worth while cultivated. In our report the room
given to crimes in IL years decreased so per
cent while there was corresponding increase
in the room given to the problems of living and
labor. the activities Of colleges. churches and
welfare societies, and to scientific research and
discovery.
You may have noted. the gradual disappear
ance Of the intrsnsigeant party organ When
began newspaper work, IN order to get both
sides of political issue one had to buy two
newspapers. and. unfortunately. few did Now
adays you need to buy but paper, though
almost everyone buys at least two To me the
most significant thing in the last presidential
campaign was the fairness with which the rep
resentations of the several candidates were
given in the news columns regardless Of what
being said the editorial page
But to what lifts the Associated Press
above all other considerations Is that the policy
of presenting a non-partisan report resulted in
placing the burden Of thinking upon the public.
BY refusing to think for its readers It has COM
PEELED the readers to think for themselves. The
response to this was immediate Before the days
of the Associated Press the man who regularly
read newspaper particularly outside the
larger cities. was rather rare exception to
the rule. Today the dispatches of the Asso-
ciated Press are read by sixty million persons
daily. Think of It! Sixty million persons read
ing facts-unehn bellished facts-and doing their
own thinking. And they thinking as never
before. Hence the open forums and the hec-
king at political meetings. The old spread-eagle
oratory of the political stump falls deaf
ears. That is why we have the most enlight-
ened electorate. That is why we have the best
Government the face Of the earth