Milford chronicle., 1935-09-20
YOU CAN'T IGNORE THE PUBLIC
CFresr. sheboygan. Wis.,

StuSEdi puUAlC has ah AAS1 met 81
you have to do is to put into prin
the news as It is gathered by report
ers and news agencies and you havI
then performed the full require
-ments of publisher.
You have two Thompson cases
both involving murder, and Texai
Judge has cited three editors ant
three reporters of Houston news
paper for contempt for printing tes
timony in the Clyde Thompson case
While this contempt case is beinl
aired, we have spectacle OF two
thousand persons in the Gerald
/ Thompson murder case in Peoria
tearing a door from its hinges in
the attempt to get into a court room
This places the editor between the
( devil and the deep sea, threatened
that he cannot report a case. or II
he does, he will be in contempt. II
you were to carry out the cOnten-
tiOns of the Texas judge you would
be barred from carrying publicity
of the incident which marred the
trial in Illinois. Judge Munson of
Texas ruled that no evidence should
be printed as it might hinder efforts
to obtain a jury.
The newspapermcn have ethics as
well as judges have and in the vast
majority of cases they follow them.
In other words, no newspaper would
want to inject prejudice by printing
other than the facts as they are
brought out as a preliminary hear
ing or in the complaint field. A
newspaper is a medium for present
ing the people the facts and even
then there are many who believe
that they can get more by attending
a court session than they can be
reading their newspapers.
In Peoria women and girls made
up nearly two thousand who tore
the hinges of a door in order to get
into the court room and then giggled
and laughed at certain testimony
that was presented. Does the judge
from Texas have in mind that fail
uFe to publish news of a murder
trial will react favorably upon in
terested spectators or destroy their
desires for hearing the sordid testi-
mony? We think that the Texas
Judge was unreasonable in his re-
quest. If he had called the newspa-
per writers into chambers and ask
ed them to exercise their best judg-
ment in the news printed he would
have accomplished far more than he
could hope to by threats of con-
tempt. For instance, let us take the
Peoria case. Suppose the judge tried
to apply the same remedy as the
Texas Judge. Not only would there
have been an increased stOrming OF
that court house but more than an
encouragement of greater mob rule.
The general public pays for the
of the courts and the
salaries of Judges and when there is
crime committed you cannot hope to
cover up or conceal the evidence.
The people are entitled to it as long
as there IS no violating of rules of
court procedure and the newspaper
that fails in this respect would inn
be placed in a class of
failing to acquaint the public. and !
this is not adhering to newspaper
ethics.
There is something. too, in a
newspaper presenting the evidence
70 the general public. If a dastardly
crime has been committed. as was
he case in Texas, broadcasting the
actual facts will play an important
,art in deterring others from crimi-
ial operations of that character. You
an rely upon a jury to weigh the
violence and to arrive at a fair yer
Iict. II is true. as we have often
aid, that there are instances where
whole community Is prejudiced
nd in that case an affidavit of pref
dice ought to be exercised, and the
ourt. Il you please. permitted to try
he case where there is less feeling.
We believe that no newspaper
hould be threatened with contempt
upon the mere assump-
ion that publishing the facts may
lterfere with the drawing Of q jury
or instance. let US take the Texas
ase. On the day that the trial start
3 the three newspapers carried 4
III account of the first days. testi
lony. The trial ended with ThOmp-
Dn's getting a 99-year term for
urder. A second defendant. Ebers.
loaded guilty and received So
ear sentence and q third. Raymond
all. is on trial at the present time.
Take the Clyde Thompson case.
his inhuman monster had been
years ago for the murder
two Texas youths. The testimony
that time proved that he Shot
.em to see them kick" A year later
; stabbed Tommy Refs, another
,nvict, in a fight while in prison
I'd in the trial in which he was
,nviCted his defense was that he
lied to defend his own life.
Whatever the judges viewpoint
ay have been that newspaper was
stified in conveying to the public
e facts. If it had attempted to print
ere rumor, the court would have
en within it's right to call the edi-
RS and publishers to the bar of
stlce but nothing of that kind had
opened. They we're threatened be-
re they had any opportunity TO
en- prove their fairness in RECOUNT
g the evidence as 1t was presented.
As we said IN the opening, the
wspaper Is between the devil and
. deep sea in trying to be emf
ntly fair.