Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-03
DUTY Of AMERICAN
PRESS DISCUSSED
[. c. Probert Cites BolShevlSt
Hegemony Story as Example
of Duty Fulfilled.

Speaking on the mission of the AS
ISOLATED Press. L. c. Probert, super
intendent of it's Washington bureau
told the Twentieth Century CLUB al
the Cosmos Club today that puollca'
ton of the now famous bolsheFlk
hegemony story afforded clear eN-
ample of the duty on the part OF the
American press to let their readers
know what is going on--and KNOW
ing, to act as they see fit
The resulting controversy that raseu
In the American press following the
Associated Press story that the Amer
lean Government was concerned over
what it believed to he communistic
influence in Mexico and Nicaragua
served to air the whole matter, he said.
Not one-tenth of ! per cent of the
American people have access TO the
original facts in any public matter,
and they are obliged to depend upon
what their newspapers tell them,
Mr.. Probert began. Through the
great majority of American news
papers, which in turn compose the
Associated Press. the great majority
of the American people get the ma
terial which In their minds is woven
into the thing called public opinion
Cites BOlshvik Story.
THE Associated Press was conceived
by it's founders in the belief that in
country Of free institutions somebody
somewhere must assume the obliga-
ton, and the duty of giving the Amer
lean people the facts on which they
themselves are going to decide their
own destinieS. Sometimes II comes
under the censure of some one who
does not agree with what is going on.
Sometimes the Associated Press is
accused of lending itself to propa-
ganda. Let's examine the merit of
such charge for a moment.
"A few weeks ago the Associated
Press told the world that the United
States Government was concerned
over what it believed to be commun-
fstic influences working from bases in
Mexico and projecting their influence
over into Nicaragua. This was the
celebrated bolshevik hegemony story.
Various publicists and newspapers
which disagree with the Governments
policy attacked the State Department
and charged it with disseminating
propaganda.
"They are wholly entitled to dis
agree If they wish to. and to have
their disagreement reported to the
world. which the Associated Press
faithfully did. At the same time va
rious other news agencies made some
righteous public proclamations to the
effect that they had declined to be
misled into being used as part of the
alleged propaganda. What they really
did was to miss the opportunity to
tell what was going on.
Turned From Policy.
I'm due time the Secretary of State
disclosed to the Senate foreign rela-
tons committee the information in his
possession. The critics of the Gov
ernment's policy contended that the
premises disclosed were poor. The
Associated Press, of course, reported
all that. AS a result of the whole
business, those who attacked the
Governments policy now contend that
the disclosures have caused the Gov.
eminent to modify it, and that by
reason of their attack the Govern
ment has BEEN turned from a policy
which might have led to war.
Now, stripped of all the confusion
of charge and counter charge, what
does it all mean? 1t means that a
great deal has happened that never
would have happened if the Asso-
ciated Press had failed to report what
was going on. Presume for the mo-
ment that the Associated Press had
failed in its duty. The American peo-
pie wouldn't have learned of the stu
alton otherwise. Other disseminators
of news admit they didn't tell the
public about it because they were de-
Ginning to be used. Suppose the prem
1ses were all wrong and that the
country had been carried into a war.
which could have been averted had
public opinion been appraised of the
fectS. Where would that RESPONSE
bility rest? What pride could be felt
by one who remained silent?"
Endorses Building Plan.
A resolution indorsing the plans of
the Superintendent Of Public Schools
and of the Board of Education of the
District of Columbia for the admins
tration of the school system, particu-
iarly as regards the five year building
program and the consequent neces.
sary quota of teachers, was passed
unanimously by the Twentieth Cen
fury Club.
The resolution came as the result
OF investigations Of school conditions
conducted by a committee composed
of the following: Mrs. Robert G.
howard, chairman: Mrs. Harvey w.
Wiley, Mrs. Albert H. Brooks, who
introduced the resolution; Mrs. w. w.
Husband, Mrs. Joshua Evans, jr., and
Mrs. Philip Sidney Smith, president of
the club. Various members of the
club voiced their opinions in favor
OF the reinstatement of "a teachers
provided for in the five-year school bill
before Congress. The resolution urged
the early completion of a Junior high
school In Georgetown, and another in
the so-called Reno road section" of
the city. Copies of the resolution are
being sent to the chairmen of the
committees on appropriations of the
Senate and the House.