Evening star., 1933-04-29
Educator Declares Editors
Place News Ahead of
Earning Profits.
HANDLING OF FOREIGN
DISPATCHES COMMENDED
Associated Press and Similar Or
ganizations Held of Great Value
to American Public.

lie lllSllcSG VI yOul
tic service to the public. many times
at the cost of profit to the publishers,
have been maintained by the newspa-
pers of the country during the trying
times through which the country Is
passing. Dean Carl w. Ackerman of
the Columbia University School of
journalism, told members of the
American Society Of Newspaper Editors
at their annual meeting at the Ma
tional Press Club today
The publishers overall viewpoint"
he declared, lis that while circulation
Is necessary both for income and in
his primary concern is with news
and editorial policy which. over a
period of years, will increase the i'm
portance and usefulness of his prop
erty. This is good business as well as
good journalism. While the newspaper
as q business must be a profit it-making
intitution, the profit motive has not
been the underlying reason for the
success or progress of American jour-
nalSm.
Lauds Foreign Service.
Newspapers have fearlessly and
clearly printed facts about conditions
and changes as rapidly as they have
been revealed by those at the source
vi nave
every possible source of information and
printed endless comments and opinions
of men and women in every field of
work and thought, whose viewpoint
could have been of help to the public
in understanding and interpreting eco
nonlic and social changes. If bankers,
business men, educators and public
officials had exercised similar care and
Judgment in their personal conversa-
tions, gossip which finally reached
ruinous proportions would have been
dried up at the source"
He praised the achievements of the
foreign news services, particularly those
of the Associated Press. declaring:
The achievements of the press as
sociations are such common factors in
our profession that they hardly I'M
press U.s. but, think, from time to
time, We make a mistake as far as
public responsibility is concerned, in
not regarding our achievements as equal
In news value to the achievements of
other professions.
Foundation for Opinions.
Through an almost instantaneous
Interchange of facts and opinions they
inform the civilized world and lay each
day the foundations for the public
opinion of the day on foreign affairs.
The most recent development, the
organization of the British, the German
and the French Associated Press. will
be an important factor in the further
development of international under
standing and good will.
President Nicholas Murray Butler Of
Columbia University once remarked that
foreign peoples have seen the United
States upside down because of the
prejudiced dispatches from foreign OBJ
servers in this country. The distribu-
ton of Associated Press dispatches in
Europe should help to restore the
balance so that European peoples can
see us as we are quite as much right
side up In these days as any other
nation.
The destiny of representative gov
ernmentS depends upon the progress OF
journalism. There is more at stake
than the survival of form of govern
ment. There are the rights of millions
of men and women to work and to
decent living. These people are our
readers. They still have faith IN the
daily newspapers. They look to the
press as their reliable and incorruptible
friend and counsellor.
"To these struggling masses, as we'll
as to the more intellectual and fortunate
minority we have an obligation and
responsibility. That is to improve the
profession of journalism. This is the
chief challenge to the press of today.
Among the 1000 daily newspapers in
the United States, one fact which will
stand the most thorough analysis is that
during the past three years the news
papers have not only maintained, but
they have succeeded in a serious en-
deavor to improve their news services
Publishers have sacrificed the business
OF the newspaper to save the profession
OF journalism.
Let those who question the selfish
interests Of newspaper owners ponder
this fact"
The editors last night were guests at
the White House for an hours off the
record conference with President
Roosevelt
Yesterday afternoon they heard talk
from Jesse H. Jones, director of the Re-
construction Finance Corporation, who,
after a prepared speech, sat down with
the editors and held an "off the record"
conference with them.
Mr. Jones told the editors there are
decided signs of business improvement
at present, and expressed an optimistic
outlook for business in the future.
Confidence in Roosevelt.
Himself publisher, Mr.. Jones, from
the standpoint of the newspaper man,
expressed the highest confidence in
President Roosevelt's ability to bring
the country through the troublous
times.
He said the R. F. C. has invested
and is now in the course of closing the
purchase OF more than S50.000,000 in
preferred stocks in banks throughout
the country, in an effort to get those
institutions which are closed on their
feet. He said it was felt, however, that
the R. F. c. must be more careful in
subscribing for stock and becoming
stockholders in banks than in making
loans, because the public will have
every right to assume that when the
Government subscribes for bank stock
that the bank will be thoroughly sound.
He suggested that it would be good
thing for all banks IN the country,
whether they actually need it at the
moment or not. to sell preferred stock,
purchases of which are matched dollar
for dollar by the r. F. c., to build up
their capital.
In some instances" he said, where
new banks are organized, the common
stock is subscribed for by the depositors
of old banks. the r. F. c. matching
dollar for dollar with preferred stock.
In others old banks are reorganized by
freezing a percentage of the deposits to
provide common capital"
Former Senator Henry J. Allen, also
q newspaper man. urged the editors to
pay more attention to their interpreta-
tions of the news Of today. citing in
stances of the tying up of related events
into a whole picture, which gives the
newspaper reader much-needed service.
nd ne hNEE CpEhkC