Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-16

The relations Of the press to public
officers Is becoming more and more .
matter of concern TO the leaders of pub
lie life and to journalists. The recent
publication of Senate roll call, sup
posed to have been entirely secret, has
brought forward prominently the i'm
standing. It Is possible the rules Of
the Senate may be materially revised
as the result Of this episode.
That Is but passing matter, but 1t
has come up several times before.
Transaction Of secret sessions Of the
Senate have resulted in the imprison-
ment Of newspaper correspondents and,
In one case, nearly resulted in the ex-
pulsion OF United States Senator,
Senator Tappan of Ohio. 1t Is possible
that no more secret executive sessions
will be held, but that executive as well
as legislative sessions shall be held
publicly.
Of equal If not more pressing moment
is the concern over methods of report
ing court trials, and TO this subject the
American Bar Association has been CIV
ing no little attention. The subject
has been studied by special body, the
and the bar. Also, journalists and
publishers have been invited to sit In at
the purely professional sessions Of sec
/ lions Of tbs Bar Association in an effort
| to work out some satisfactory code,
some n1odus operandi which will prove
mutually acceptable.
The problem Is one showing many
angles. The newspapers are ever eager
to print every detail concerning import
art trials. This eagerness Is the crea-
| ton Of a public avid for news, often,
! 1t is recognized by both press and bar,
morbidly avid-as in such cases as
murder trials and divorce cases It Is
generally accepted that the newspaper
reporters and photographers viii 60 to
any reasonable, and In some cases
seemingly unreasonable, lengths to OBJ
| tain information and pictures.
whose Fault Il 1t?
| Against this prying for news are
ranged lawyers and judges. That Is
to say, there is such q general division
| This attitude Is prompted by the fact
that the Judge believes that public
opinion and jury opinion would be In
| fuenced by premature publication;
during the course of o trial and the
course Of justice thereby predjudiced
| Further, for tactical reasons, both
prosecuting and defending counsel
often, indeed usually. desire TO keep
| I6eH plans SeCTeb uHbu IIlC pAUpct nnlAe
arrives to make use Of evidence or line
| of argument
This, studies Of the Bar Association
show. Is not an absolutely universal at.
titude on the part Of judges and law.
yers. Bar Association reports have not
| hesitated to deplore the fact that there
are many publicity seeking judges who
are not displeased with the sensation
alism surrounding the proceedings tr
their courts. While, In general. an in
dividual lawyer would not make such
q statement In open court to any spe-
ciic Judge, the broadly impersonal re-
! ports of the various bar associations
make it possible to express blanket
| opinion. Lawyers know that judges are
| lust lawyers who have been raised x
the bench, usually because of specia
ability; sometimes through politica
popularity. In donning the robes Of
ONCE, they do not lay forever aside
their human susceptibilities.
The same criticism has been launch
ed by the impersonal bar against law.
yers, who, seeking the professions
advertising given them by newspaper
publicity, strive to make trials II
which they are concerned sensational
It is contrary to the ethics OF the pro-