Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-17
|PRESS FIGHT URGED
! ON "GAG' STATUTE
Minnesota Law Attacked in
Address as Editors Open
Meeting.

papers, Walter M Harrison, president
of the American Society of Newspaper
Editors. opened its annual meeting today
urging support of the Chicago Tribune
campaign against the Minnesota gag
| law.
The Minnesota statute, Harrison said,
| holds that any newspaper or publica-
ton which regularly publishes mali
clouS, scandalous or defamatory matter
, to be nuisance. Under the law, ne
continued. the Saturday Press, small
weekly publication of Minneapolis, was
| restrained from publication.
The injunction was sustained by the
higher State courts and the Chicago
Tribune Harrison continued, planned
to carry ON to the Supreme Court. The
American Society OF Newspaper Editors
had offered to join the fight against the
| law.
Holds Public Amply Protected.
"Here is a. club in the hands Of
crooked office holders which the press
cannot accept with folded hands If 1t
values its freedom" Harrison said.
| without a jury, this summary pro-
ceeding may be used in campaign to
destroy property
THE rules Of law governing libel,
Islander and privileged publications are
| dLlplS pIOlCCllOl Vi tie pubic.
Harrison said there was danger II the
Minnesota law went unchallenged that
similar statutes might be passed in other
States.
He urged support of the Capper- La
Guardia bill designed to protect re-
porters in their refusal to divuge con-
| fidential information in any Federal
| court.
Harrison, representing the Oklahoma
| City Oklahoman and Oklahoma City
! Times, deplored the flood of publicity
and propaganda" and the growing use
Of press agents.
| Harrison, discussing crime news, said
he believed press associations put more
OF this matter on their wires than the
average subscriber wants.
BrOadcaSting Advocated.
| Harrison advocated that newspapers
| get into the broadcasting field and pre-
| pare for use OF televiSion. He deplored
what he termed the attempt OF aviation
interests to prevent the publication OF
! accidents and said progress in this field
| was due 10 free publicity given the
| activity
The society president asked support
for the movement to prevent the Gus
toms service from cenSoring books
| brought into this country, and praised
/
! contempt sentences imposed on news
paper men.
Support for a bill by Senator Van
denberg of Michigan designed to pre-
| vent a judge sitting in contempt pro-
ceedings in which he Is challenger was
urged by him.
Capper Bill Endorsed.
The society's committee on legisla-
en-
five outstanding matters" in its an
nual report. The committee Endorsed
the pending Capper bill, which would
protect newspaper men from attempts
to force them to reveal the sources oil
confidential information, and the Van
denberg bill.
The, Minnesota gag law trial, the
Cleveland Press contempt of court case
In the course Of which the editor ano
chief editorial writer were sent to jail
and a California case i'll which news
paper editor criticized judge and was
later indicated, were described III the
report as typical OF tendency on the
part OF courts and legislative bodies
which must ever be watched"
Commenting on the Capper bill, the
committee set forth its views as follows
The inviolability of confidential
sources of news is fully established IL
tradition, If not in law, and seldom
have courts attempted to disregard 1t
1t is one of the fundamentals of news
paper service and most important, II
not absolutely essential, to the service
which the newspaper is bound to give
the public"
The Vandenberg bill was described as
perhaps the most hopeful outgrOwth
of the years activities i'll our line.
The report was submitted by Grove
Patterson Of the Toledo Blade, chair
man of the committee.
Directors Of the society met at tn,
Willard Hotel this morning, prelimi-
nary to the opening meeting. The editor!
were welcomed to Washington by Norman
Baxter, president of the National Pres!
Club, who greeted the organization OF
behalf OF the Washington correspond
entS. Mr. Baxter is managing editol
of the Washington Post.
The meeting will continue through
Saturday and will close that night Will
banquet, at which President Hoover
II. Wickham Steed. formerly OF TIT
London Times, and Andre Gereaud
political editor OF the Echo de Paris
known widely as Pertinax, will speak.
The address of President Hoover will
be only to the editors and the usua
custom of not publishing his remark:
will be followed.
Subjects Are Varied.
A variety OF subjects touching on tn,
social as well as the professional
aspects of newspaper work will engage
the editors during their meeting. Chic
among the matters scheduled for ex
tended discussion is the relation of tn,
press and the courts, subject which
has grown in importance to newspaper
editors in recent years.
Virtually all phases of journalism will
be studied by the editors, who annually
regard their meeting in the Capital a.
pilgrimage to the fountain head o
. national news. A large number OF tn
. editors have served here as correspond
entS for the papers they now control.
Dinner to Honor Visitors.
Among the speakers on the three.
l day program will be Edward II. But
Ter editor and publisher of the Buffalo
Evening Times; Marlen Z. Pew, editor
of Editor and Publisher; Senator Van
] denberg of Michigan, who publishes &
I newspaper; Justice Ernest l. EdgecomE
of the appellate division of the Suprem,
Court Of New York George w. Wicker
2 sham, chairman of the National Law
Commission: Andrew r. Sheriff of thu
= American Bar Association; DR.. Rober
M. Hutchins, president of the Univer.
sity of Chicago; Secretary of the In
terror Wilbur, M. II. Aylesworth, preSi
dent OF the National Broadcasting Co.
Frank E. Gannett. president OF the
, Gannett newspapers; David Lawrence
president of the United States Daily
George Gallup, director of journalism O
! Drake University; A. r. Holcumbe
E managing editor of the New Yorl
Herald Tribune, and w. G.. Corpe. Sun
day and feature editor of the CLEVELAND
Plain Dealer.
A buffet dinner and entertainment
! will ha Civan in tho ~