Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-12
Warns Against
Spread Dishonest
And Untruthful News

ing tonight at lHe dilIllletl uiliiieL Vi
the editors of The Tech. the student
stitute of Technology, Edward Nc
Kernon, OF New York, supetln-
tendent of the Eastern Division of
The Associated Press, warned against
misinfurmation circulated in the
guise of news. The ignorant or dis
honest reporter, he said, was a
greater menace to society than ever
before.
The time has gone. by" the
speaker declared, when we can al
ford to be mildly amused at the OBJ
sCure correspondent who stretched
the truth to adorn a tale. The fact
THAT communication over great dis
tanceS can now be instantaneous has
exposed society to q new danger;
that is, exploitation by the news
faker who, because of the very ef-
ficiency of The Associated Press in
reporting adequately and promptly
every important event the world
over, has been driven to resort to
gross eXaggeration or absolute fiction
in order to make his wares at
tractive. To the extent that he is
successful, his readers receive dis
torted picture of affairs that warps
their judgment of events and gives
them a false perspective in an age
| when there is the greatest need OF
clear and sound thinking.
Better public unread then n
public consistently misinformed.
The 200 years beginning with the
fifteenth century, when the press
was suppressed, were dark enough,
but they were bright compared with
the century (which followed in which
these in authority, once satisfied that
the masses should not know con-
spired, through he licensed press,
to make them believe that which was
false.
If there was ever a time in the
history of the world when straight
thinking was necessary. it is today,
III order that we may. as far as
humanity possible, grasp the Sig
nificance of all that is taking place
and adjust ourselves mentally to
rapidly changing conditions. But
you cannot think straight unless you
get straight information. You cam
not get straight information from
| crooked sources. I mean by crooked
sources any individual reporter who
takes advantage of your distance
, | from the origin of q story to invent
the news or to draw upon his i'm
agination to make more entertaining
and salcable the product of that i'm
! agination. Here are two examples:
% The Associated Press re-
ported as unContirmed that q portu-
Guese island off the west coast of
Africa had slumped into the sea
Competitors of The Associated Press
three days later while we had the
report under investigation made the
unqualified statement that populous
Port Alexander had disappeared into
! the ocean, with the loss of scores OF
lives, the sad details being revealed
, by 'gibbering madmen' picked up by
vessels in the vicinity. Yet the
| Portuguese government the next day
| officially announced that not life
was lost.
CD There was an explosion on
an island off the coast of Brazil.
Fifteen persons were killed and $50
more or less seriously injured. But
competitors of The Associated
Press reported that 603 lives We're
lost and 1879 persons were injured
and in addition nine women were
made insane.
This is not funny. 1t is serious.
1t is mighty serious. 1 tell you that
the greatest secular influence in
|, Your life today is the newspaper YOU
read. You may not realize it. but it
is. Your paper stares you in the
h face morning, noon and night. It's
influence is unacceptable. And what
YOU read is reflected to a great eX-
tent in your daily walk and CONVEX
sation. In these times of daily
surprises and when the average
reader does not have time thoroughly
to digest the news and assess its
authenticity, there is nothing more
vital to him than the integrity Of his
news sources.
The Associated Press was organ
lied to provide the public with a
Il partisan news report that
should deal in facts and be prepared
TO back up those facts. 1t is COM
posed of more than 1900 newspa pers
that are check upon each other,
and no one could falsify it's
dispatches without instant detection.
1t is cooperative. 1t makes no
profits. And finally, to assure alb
solute -partisanship and freedom
from propaganda, it never comments
on the news.
ITO my mind this is the out
standing and distinctive character
istic of the organization. We may
say that the president delivered an
address. We may not say that it
was a good address. That is for the
reader to determine for himself.
THE Associated Press was the
first and, L believe, is today the only
news organization in the world tina t
presents only factS-unadorned
facts-without any suggestion to the
reader as to the conclusion to be
drawn from those facts. The ire
mendous importance of this Is plain.
1t must result in q public opinion
founded upon a universal knowledge
of the facts.
1.-THE Associated Press was born at
a time when the news sources of the
whole country were largely con-
trolled by few men who We're in a
| position to dictate what news
should be published and what news
should not be published. and to treat
events according to their personal
ideas. Farsighted publishers de-
termined that the press should be
neutral in its news columns and pub
lish all the news of Importance with
i out fear or favor, with an eye
single to service to the public, and
SO they formed the cooperative
organization which is The Associate
Press of today.
This new conception of journal
ism was essentially revolutionary.
From the start it encountered the
outraged hostility of private and
selfish interests. 1t required faith
and courage to make it effective, and
in the history of Journalism there is
| no more glorious and inspiring
page than that which records the
struggle toward the creation of this
| organization.
"A standard of Journalism has
| been raised 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 individuals thew
| might not haua attninnd LIZ .o.....,.l