Imperial Valley press., 1934-08-13

JOURNALISM DEAN REPLIES TO
JOHNSONS ATTACK ON PAPERS

|
as these over the radio, charges
(Which are deliberately calculated
to undermine public confidence in
your newspapers, in your policies,
in your integrity, in your intellec-
tual honesty and in your independ-
ence?
From my knowledge of the news
papers and press associations of the
United States I do not believe that
General Johnson can prove either
statement. Looking back upon IS
years of experience in newspaper
work in Europe, the Orient and all
parts of this country and as a
reader of scores of newspapers reg
ularly I know that there is not a
freer, a more impartial or a more
public spirited press in the world
than we have in this country. I
know the press associations which
report and distribute news from
Washington to every city in this
| country are as accurate, fair and
| impartial as any human activity
can be- know that no man. in
office or in private life can buy,
control, influence, garble or color
the Washington news of the lead
ing press associations.
Furthermore, there is not a more
honest and public spirited group of
men in the United States than the
Washington correspondents of the
American newspapers, but General
Johnson libels these men as he libels
, you because he is not specific.
Compared To Hitler
He gives the radio audience to
understand that the suppression.
the garbling and the coloring of
news is a common practice of news
paper men. That is the same
charge Hitler made against the
German press before he destroyed
its freedom and substituted govern
ment-made newspapers for an in
dependent press. That is the way
Hitler tried to justify his actions.
That is the course he followed to
create a so-called united nation.
Fortunately for the United States
General johnson will never be able
to establish an NRA dictatorship
because freedom of opinion makes
public opinion and the American
people are not going to substitute
government made news for the
news of free and independent news
papers.
Ever since the newspapers united
to fight for the freedom of the
press under the NRA, they have
been leading public opinion. Look
ing forward to an unknown and
equally uncertain future will the
press and should it continue to
lead?
The answer to the first half of
that question rests with you, with
the newspaper publishers of the
United States. Will you lead or
will you follow public opinion? In
reply to the second half may I
submit for your consideration the
following observations in regard
to the relation of public opinion to
government?
The free flow of news, locally,
!
indispensable in a democracy. In
formation holds the community to-
gether. 1t makes the United States
a united country. Without the
minute by minute collection of
uncensored and uncontrolled news
and IT'S daily distribution through
out the country this nation would
! IA ixrl IF
Europe. Without the free, full flow
of daily news there can be no pub
lie opinion because news provides
the sinews of public opinion. In
the gathering and in the diStribu-
ton Of news the press must lead.
Public opinion in a democracy
must have a free channel of COM
munication to the legislative, the
executive and the judicial branch
es of government. 1t cannot be in
dependent upon the ballot box 1t
must function and register between
elections as we'll as on election
day, otherwise government is not
subject to public opinion. 1t must
be able to depend upon that chan
mel every day and at the same
time be able to control it too.
/ Depend On Papers
! For more than two centuries in
this country the press has been the
chief channel of communication to
government. Today the American
people cast more than 40 million
ballots daily when they buy news
papers. They spend more than a
million dollars a day in pennies not
alone to read the newspapers but
to follow or criticize editorial pol
icies. And they depend upon the
Of communication to every public
official.
The press must lead public opin-
ion because it is independent. The
NRA does not and cannot control
the press. The press is not sub
| ject to the influence of any fed
eral appropriations. In its news
policies it is wholly independent of
| politicians and if it maintains this
independence public opinion will
follow it's leadership.
BY independence I mean courag-
eous independence. The press must
be independent Of big and little
business. 1t must be independent
of organized and unorganized labor.
1t must be independent Of govern
ment-made news and opinion. 1t
must be independent in order that it
may challenge any government
policy, any act or any edict of the
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