The St. Paul echo., 1927-03-05
States Press Is the Greatest
Factor in the National
Life of Negro.
Twenty-Eighth Session
DenOunces Officers and Urges a
Stand on Nine Important
Questions.

(Released by The Associated Negro
Press)
To the Members of the Press Asso-
citation:
I am wondering if the members
of the Association assembled here
fully realize the power of the press,
and their influence in forming pub
lie opinion-that the press is the
greatest factor in the National life
for good or bad in Negro life. That
a people are very largely what the
press makes them, and weigh just
about as much in the public regard
as public opinion, created by the
press, play them up to be.
If we fully realized our relation
ship to race building and the re-
sponsibility resting upon our shoul-
ders in the making of citizenship, we
would take a peculiar pride in our
institution, and in the building of an
association that would be foremost
among racial institutions.
The preacher, lawyer, doctor and
teacher all have associations of which
they are proud; why shouldn't we,
as an institution, be proud of our
place in the economy of nation build
ing?
All these institutions depend very
largely upon the newspapers to get
both their usefulness and messages
over to the people. And while we
are making others important, why
not build above them all for our
selves?
Journalism is one of the learned
professions, and has a larger field
for service than any of it's contem-
porary institutions. Let every edi-
tor be proud of his vocation and be
ethical in his profession. Let us
meet and confer annually for the pur-
pose of developing higher and no.
bier journalism. We can command
for ourselves, just that place in the
public regard, that we covet most.
If we can build for other people, we
can build for ourselves as we lift
others.
Come to Put In, Not to Take Out.
Do not come to the Association ev-
cry year expecting to carry something
away, but come expecting to put
something material in the Associa-
tion. Be contributor, not a charge.
The Association is not the place to
come to get business, but to discuss
the best ways and means of develop
ing business, and when we go home,
put into practice whatever worth
while we may learn from conference
and contact, while here associated
with our brethren as newspaper men.
Here we can discuss ethics, news
what is news and what is not news
news service, newspaper bureaus, edi-
torials, reports-the difference be-
tween a reporters story and an edi-
tors editorial-politics, party fealty,
general policy-the duty of the pub
lie to the press, and the duty of the
press to the public-newspaper eth
les observed among one another-ad-
vertising, fit and unfit-releases free
and paid-co-operation within the
Association among ourselves and edi-
torial unity on race questions.
Professional Improvement.
The President is pleased to OBJ
serve among the members of the AS
sociation much ethical and editorial
Improvement. Not a single attack
by one member on the other, has
come to our attention since the Phil
adelphia meeting; and there has
been only one instance where men,
ber has shown an inclination to do
the unethical thing.
The member papers are growing
stronger editorially, cleaner in news,
and more dependable for the facts in
their stories. On matters touching
the race, we are drifting closer to-
gether, and showing a unanimity of
action that is admirable.
Releases.
The member papers carry far too
many free releases from individuals
and news bureaus. 1t costs the pub
fishers just as much to carry free
matter as it does paid matter. We
must cut the activities of news bu-
reaus, churches, associations, and
propagandists, by refusing to carry
their releases and personal "Ads"
unless they pay, at least, the cost of
the composition.
Concerns that pay white papers to