Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-16
Secrecy Versus Publicity
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

fession for q lawyer to advertise In
newspapers or other media, but II he
can get his name in the news columns
by making the case he Is prosecuting
or defending sensational In nature, the
same advertising purpose Is served.
Many lawyers take cases for small or
no fees merely because sensational as
poets Of such cases insure advertising
which is free on the one hand and,
being IN the form Of news. does not
violate professional ethics on the other:
In general these are the aspects OF
the problem before the legal profession
and the newspaper profession today.
1t SINNERS down to three-cornered
situation which has conflicting ele-
ments. Newspapers want detailed
news, judges and 1uries want secrecy
In most cases. but IN others Individual
Judges and lawyers desire to use the
newspapers for self-advertisen1ent. One
of the reasons, in fact the principal
reason, why the Bar Association and
leading publishers are concerned over
the matter is the danger that amid all
this pickering the ends Of justice may
be largely overlooked and the interests
Of plaintiff or defendent lost In the
scuffie .- @
Reporters Warned Against Prejudice.
In such a situation the American Bar
Association looks with approval upon
Isthe introduction into schools OF journal
| ism of special courses on how to report
court proceedings. Many publishers
look upon the innovation with favor
also, but perhaps with somewhat
allowed satisfaction. Some fear has
been expressed that the school OF
Journalism graduate may emerge from
| his course too much inbued with the
idea Of protecting the court. However,
experience would suggest that most
young newspaper graduates VIII not be
restrained when the news hunt begins,
! nor can court reporting be held per-
manently within fixed bounds py sort
Of Oueensberry set of rules. The legiti-
| mate news fact, whether 1t be q fact
| concerning secret session Of the
Senate or concerning murder trial,
will out.
There is a tendency on the part Of
| the bar and the schools Of journalism to
train reporters TO refrain from prejudice
In reporting trials Use OF words is
weapon which q reporter can WELD as
he sees ut. An old example, often
quoted, is that of two publicar1s, one
| of whom was very popular In the
sanctum Of O certain newspaper and the
other the reverse. When the name Of
the popular one cropped up In the news
he was always referred to as So and
| So, the merchant or such ana sucn an
address. When the name Of the other
was used, it was qualified with the
statement that he was saloon keeper.
Both statements we're correct. Both
were In precisely the same kind Of bust
ness Both were merchants and both
saloon keepers: In a word, both sold
| liquors. But the manner of statement
In the press made q world Of difference.
An example Of biassed reporting
which is being used IN schools of
journalism Is as follows: "Old Charles
Gundiachs' blood-stiffened garments
played Banquo's ghost in the Federal
Court today when the State of Mary
land came to grips with the Federal
Government on its method of enforc-
ing the Volstead act in the ancient
commonwealth that was founded by
Lord Baltimore as refuge for the OPP
pressed"
Here, 1t is pointed out, the reporter
wrote a true statement but couched it
in such terms as to awaken sympathy
for the victim, parade ancient preroga-
tives calculated to arouse local patriotism
and thereby bring a Federal law into
disrepute. This, the bar says, Is being
J unfair to the law.