Imperial Valley press., 1937-01-14
BRINGING ALL
THE NEWS TO
IMPERIAL =
vE VALLEY -
A PUBLICITY CONTROL
RUREAU FOR WASHINGTON

BUREAU FOR WASHINGTON
The reading public of the United
States is not entirely aware of the dam
gers behind one current plan proposed
in the national capital, that for central
publicity control bureau whence would
originate all government news handouts,
and to which all correspondents would
be referred for answers to their vexing
questions News of government activi-
ties is more widely and more truthfully
told in the United States than in any
other country in the world. This is so
because correspondents have access to
the various governmental bureaus from
which the news originates, and because
no censorship is imposed on them.
The proposed so-called publicity
control bureau, it is true, is not planned
as a censorship office, nor to hinder
correspondents in discharge of their
duties to the public. Its proponents
even argue that it would help the cor
respondents, by narrowing down the ter
ritory they have to cover. We can agree
with them to this extent-the proposed
bureau would be God-send to lazy
reporters who are content with what
someone else tells them.
Under the present administration
there might be no danger in such a
bureau. | might be operated on the the
orv that it is best for the people to
know what is going on in their govern
ment There is no assurances, however,
that another administration might not
turn the bureau into a club over public
opinion, making it essentially censor
ship office instead of publicity control
office Censorship has no place, except
perhaps in war time, in government
such as ours.
Men who have dealt with govern
ment news sources know that, all too
often, federal officers are actually afraid
of giving out news not approved by their
superiors, for fear they will lose their
Jobs. With a centralized government
news bureau, how much more acute this
situation would become! No employe
of any government bureau, below the
rank of cabinet member, would be I'M
mune from the fear. The publicity con-
troll bureau, would be a powerful weapon
in the hands of any administration which
wished to entrench its political strength
Free speech, free press and the right
of free assemblage are the basic rules
of the United States Anything remotely
threatening any one of those rules is
potentially dangerous.
CENSORSHIP-THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN FREEDOM
AND SERVITUDE
Government censorship of news in
the United States should never be allow
ed to obtain even a slight finger-hold.
Such censorship is the weapon OF dc
tators and war lords. Most Americans
do not know that it is capital offense
in Germany for any person to communl-
cate to any foreigner any manner OF IN
formation withheld by the German CEN
sors from their own press. Items with
held include news of hunger and poverty,
news of government expense and news OF
German official action in dealing with
foreign countries. Editors in Germany
cannot print news that has not been
sanctioned by the government. II they
do, they lose their jobs and probably go
to prison.
Germany is cited, not because 1t Is
the only example, but because 1t is
nation much in the public eye. Other
nations where similar censorship Is
practiced include Italy, Austria, Hun
gary, Jugoslayia, Greece, Turkey and
almost every nation in Europe except
France and England. Even there, the
governments request" not to PRINT
news amounts to a command.
NOl the newspapers, HlasaHiiioo al"
publishers as a whole, but the reading
public of the United States should Jeal-
ously guard its right of free press.
WILL THE MATTSON
CRIME BE REPEATED
An autopsy reveals that the 10-year-
old Mattson boy was stabbed in the back,
then beaten to death by his kidnaper
Even that is not the most revolving rev.
alation of the autopsy. The man who
kidnapped and killed the boy was Grim
inal degenerate! Even in the modern
world, where shocking things are COM
monplace, the foul practices of such in
dividuals are too shocking for words.
ONLY in the vile conversation of depraved