The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1927-10-21
MALICIOUS REPORTING

MALICIOUS REPORTING
When it comes to malicious reporting, the hypo-
critical Great Falls Tribune easily takes the Grand
Prix.
We do not refer to any one particular case-the
tendency is becoming chronic as to refer to prac-
tcaly every item of its news In its policy of false
reporting it is deliberate and wanton.
1t IS said by great many people who claim to
know that this policy of the Tribune is concurrent
with the employment of News Editor Thurston, a
well known republican newspaper man, by that pre-
sumably democratic journal. Just why Warden
keeps this scamp on that job is seven days won
der to the readers of the Tribune, paper that
at one time had considerable reputation for reli-
ability.
Last fall at the time of the Sheridan county
robbery the Tribune played it up under a scare
head streamer as the story of the day. No detail
was omitted to insinuate that the robbery was an
inside job. Fake reports sent in by the enemies
of the Farmer-Labor administration in this section
were printed news Nothing was neglected to
give a bad slant on the whole situation here.
Gratuitous interviews given out by Bank Examin-
er Larson insinuating that there was something
wrong in having county money in the vault at the
time of the robbery, when every bank in the county
had as much and in some cases more money than
they were qualified to take, while the county had
S115,O0O in uncashed checks in its vaults besides
some forty-five thousand dollars in currency and
sixty-five thousand dollars in bonds, about forty
thousand of which had been put up by banks as
security for the deposit of county funds, were
featured from day to day, in bold face type, black
bordered boxes. The actual facts in this case
that paper never took the trouble to print because
the facts would have put the affair in light con-
Trajectory to the evident desire of the Tribune
tbp rOhh Of +I,o
ury occurred at about quarter Of six, on dark
night, the last day of November the last dav
for the collection of the taxes before they became
delinquent, when the treasurer is required by law
to stay in his office until six o'clock 1t happened
that all of the officers had left the court house at
live the regular closing time except the treasurer
and his deputy and clerks, as was usual-the
treasurer himself and assistants leaving any other
night at>that hour. Everybody was away except
the Janitor who was working in a far-off room.
Bandits appeared, masked bandits, and robbed
the treasurer just as he was putting the money
away in the screw safe.
Everything was done that was humanity possible
to do to apprehend the burglars. They were not
caught. Neither were the burglars who held up
the bank at Malta a few days before nor those
who robbed the bank at New Rockford, North Da-
kota taking clean hundred thousand in cash at
apQf6n6QQ6Q,
were the bandits who robbed bank in Helena
itself last summer. But the Tribune was not
concerned with this
State Examiners department examined the
books of the treasurer in detail twice The audi
tors of the National Surety Company in which the
funds OF the county had been insured examined
the books once, went away then returned again
and again examined these books in detail and none
OF them found so much a misplaced comma
The law in regard to the deposit of the county
money had been complied with by the county treas
urer in the greatest detail
The Attorney General of the State of Montana
put everybody concerned, every officer of the
county, on the grill and with the aid of Clausen.
the high priced and astute attorney for the Sure
ty Company, examined them under oath. taking
down all testimony in short hand so that it could
be analysed in detail at their leisure. and not an
lota OF evidence was disclosed discriminating any,
one or indicating anything other than the fact
Vnat the robbery was committed by bandits as
We're the other robberies above referred to-
The Attorney General himself was convinced of
the obvious facts, yet the Tribune did not do
'ning TO undo the wanton wrong that its news
editor was guilty of in the creation of false i'm
pressions among the people of the state by its ma
hcious policy of reporting this case.
In all reports of the suit for the collection Of
this money against the surety company, this paper
has continued its policy of damnng by nsinuations
and the creation of a mistaken idea of the facts
In reporting news from this county, the Tri-
pune always publishes it in such a way as to make
II appear that this county is lawess place. when
the Iacts are that there is ten times as much
crime q IN proportion to the population right in
GIeat rails itself, most of the news of which Is
suppressed for the purpose of making it appear
Iat that town is free from crime than there is in
Sheridan county or in any part Of Northeastern
Montana