The Washington times., 1937-06-24
The Human Side of the News
By Monitor
BIZ EdWin C.. Hill

TNHE Brookngs Institution reports to the Byrd Committee
l. Government Reorganization that the New Deal is
spending 100000 year the salaries Of press agents
While there is provision under the law for such employees
they carried the rolls Information service
sentatives."
Business and government propaganda is large
SCALE business basis Fmsy flows like the Mississippi to
make you buy this vote that think this that conform
refuse conform. There's blizzard of doctored tera
ture over the land-over all the lands.
Big business approached the molding of public opinion
clumsiy and heStanty at first In prewar days. John D.
Archbod the oil magnate innocenty proposed that his
pany buy good agency like the Associated Press
Previously old Commodore William H. Vanderbilt had
claimed, the public be damned!" This remark boom
erang.
The Ivy Lee in his magnificent job of rehabiating
John D. Rockefeller after the Trinidad Co mine troubles
in 1913 broke and high ground for all the counseors
in public relations that along later The public had
Mr. Rockefeller mind as the somewhat predatory parsonage
of Ida Tarbes history That picture rubbed out and
into the frame stepped the benign old phianhropit which
the world knew in Mr.. Rockefeller's later years.
The Government got its first worthwhile apprenticeship in
publicity in the World War. 1t has great advantage
private publicity monges Its handouts landed in spot
in the newspaper-f the paper knew what good for it.
Out of the the sciencenot yet exact science
but it's still young-o building regmentng and controlling
public opnon let the people rule but be to inform and
guide their decisions Foreign governments frankly operate
departments of propaganda Our Government ankle
deep IN handouts after the war-now it's to its neck
That 100000 annual pressagent pay roll would than
pay all the reporters the biggest newspaper the country
The word reporter edgng in here unbdden touches off
bit of nostalgia l remember crusy old magnate with
waterfall mustache who always making and try
ing to bottle mixing in dngdong Wall Street battles
and what not, and always Tending off reporters
Reporters out lot of shoe leather in those days They
bafled by the old curmudgeon until hunting in
pack they found his elevator his floor and
barged in him. They ripped open big story story which
the public entitled to know and which should have been
told.
Not so, these days. The counselor of public relations in
forms the newspapers that certain hour Mr. Croesus
will be pleased to representatives of the They
rive much presentabe lot the whole than the old
rsh The counselor greets them pleasantly and they
uhered into his He to everything
with whatever But when the lads find them
ses down the street. they somehow realize that their story
has evaporated into sheet of nnocuous flimsy.
But at that the newspapers do surprisingly good job in
combng the publicity bugs in the run-ofthe-mne
We still have free press and there's law against any
porter shaking leg and getting if he feels like
it. Our Government still gives fielders choice in print
ing it's handouts throwing them away. Which is
mnder of still happy estate compared with most Euro
pean countries There newspapers just sheepherdrs
have idea that free press is the institution
which gives big edge Europe regardless of theories
actuaes of Government and that long
hang onto it. democracy won't go down the chute of
utism.
Copyright. by King Features Syndicate.