The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-08-04
THE FREE PRESS AND THE RADICALS

Z u
Speaking to the California Publishers
Association at Los Angeles, yesterday,
Dean Carl w. Alderman of the Columbia
University School of Journalism, told the
assembled newspaper men that the men
who drafted the NRA law mot only de-
sired but expected to control the press.
They expected to accomplish this end
through the licensing clause of NRA. They
failed because the newspapers of the coun-
try were overwhelmingly opposed to &C
cepting a code which included the licens-
ing provision. In fact, spokesman for the
newspapers flatly declined to do this, and
after months of negotiation and contention,
the NRA promoters realized that the news
papers would never sign away their constl-
tutional rights, and the daily newspapers
were allowed to adopt a code OF their own
making, which clearly states that in doing
so the newspapers do not abrogate any
constitutional rights.
The Associated Press report of Dean
Ackerman's Los Angeles speech is illumi-
mating. 1t is as follows:
Carl W. Alderman, dean of the Columbia Uni
versity School of Journalism said tonight General
Hugh S. Johnsons Chicago speech was "a direct
challenge to the press to lead the fight for free
dom and public opinion
Alderman told a special meeting of the Cali
fornia Publishers association that from the time
the President signed the recovery act, General
Johnson has been lighting to control the press and
,bsf;f ipso
''The men who drafted the law which gave the
President power to license the press mot only de-
sired but expected to control the press" he said.
Furthermore, they intended to use the radio,
which the government can license, to manufacture
government opinion" - .
"What General johnson wants is press which
is united for the government and by the govern
ment, edited by governmental yes-men who will
suppress every opinion and approved by an Amer
ican-made dictator of propaganda.
Dean Alderman scored General Johnson's ref
erences to "garbled, suppressed and coored news -
He interpreted General Johnsons statements as
accusing 'you gentlemen and every other newspa-
per publisher and owner in this country of being
parties TO the suppression, the garbling and the
eoloring of news"
"That is serious charge which is faetually IN
true" the dean said. "What are you going to do
about it-write editorials or take some action?
81 know the press associations which report and
distribute news from Washington to every city in
this country as accurate fair and impartial as
any human activity can be.
II know that no man, in office or in private
life can buy, control. influence, garble or color
the Washington news of the leading press assoeia-
tons"
The press of the country is leading the
fight 'for freedom and public opinion. %
This is not true of all the country's news
papers, Some of them are blindiy follow
ing in the footsteps of politicians, rubber
stamp Senators and congressman, and the
radicals who are so numerous in places of
power. These newspapers have not been
bought. They afe not controlled. They
have been nisled. They do not see eondi-
tons clearly as they actually exist. They
have examined only surface indications
and have not attempted to think through
to the end of the country's present Social
istic program.
However, it is true that such hope .as
the country has for the continuation of the
American system of government and So
cial order, is in large measure founded
on the attitude of the independent press OF
the United States. The people have found
they cannot look 10 the politicians for sal,
walton m a crisis. They have found the