Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-11
Wage and Hour Act
Threatens Press,
Alderman Says
; Freedom Is Dependent
+: On Economic Ability
/: To Publish, He Asserts

Mandatory application to news
papers of the overtime provisions
OF the Wage and Hour Act threatens
the freedom of the press, Dean Carl
w. Alderman of the Graduate
School of Journalism of Columbia
University declared in his annual
report to DR.. Nicholas Murray But
Ter, president of the University,
made public yesterday.
The long series of moves by the
Federal Government ito control the
press of this country, beginning
with the N. r. A. campaign has
eliminated in a series of legal
actions in different sections of the
country under the Fair Labor
Standards Act, Dean Alderman
points out.
Fortunately for the Nation" the
dean continues, the press is under
attack, and the American Newspa-
per Publishers Association has as
sumed the arduous task of defense.
Those who assert that by interven-
ing in these cases the A. N. P. A.
is making a plea for special privi-
leges and exemptions for newspa-
per owners and managers are as
unfair as they are unenlightened.
independence Held COrollary.
1.-THE independence of the press is
an essential corollary of the freedom
of the press. Only by maintaining
its economic ability to publish can
a newspaper exercise its conStitu-
tional right to be free. The liberty
of a newspaper to print the news
and to express and reflect public
opinion in democracy must rest
upon economic independence.
Those who now seek to establish
an economic level for the freedom
of the press will find in the end that
they have been instrumental in
Transforming the institutional lib
erty of the press into totalitarian
economic pattern. The trend OF
legislation is decidedly in this di-
rection. The freedom of the press
is worthless unless it is available
equally to all. Knowing how vital
and essential it is to all newspapers
and to all citizens that the news
papers throughout the country be
considered as equals in public Serv-
ice, the A. N. P. A. has interviewed
in defense of the specific news
papers which are and have been
under attack.
Furthermore, the question is not
whether newspaper owners or man.
ayers seek special privileges and
exemptions. The question which
should be of paramount public i'm
portance is: How can a newspaper
fulfill its constitutional obligations
if it admits that it is entitled to no
special privileges and exemptions?
Educational institutions claim and
obtain special privileges and exemp-
tions. The newspaper is also an
essential educational medium.
Educational Services.
without an informed and en-
lightened electorate democracy cam
not exist and the first amendment
is meaningless. The freedom of the
press cannot be separated from the
education services of the press. I'm
less the press is economically as we'll
as politically independent of govern
ment, it cannot be in position to
enlighten free people.
IF the newspapers of the United
States concede that any admins
frofor II, opu Governmental 6onorf
ment has the power to set the mini
mum wage which newspaper can
pay any particular group of its en-
ployes, then he can set any mini
mum he pleases even to the extent
of making it utterly impossible for
newspaper to have any employees
at all
Dean Alderman is cooperating
with the American Newspaper Pub
fishers Association in the prepara-
ton of affidavitS in cases against
newspapers now pending in the
courts. This cooperation, he ex-
plains, is based upon the conviction
that the newspapers Of the United
States are and will continue to be
the primary defenders Of individual
rights.
These rights" he continues, "are
being and will continue to be whit
tied down by the Capitalization of
Government, which engenders abuse
of power, and by corresponding
changes in other fundamental in
situations of a democratic society.
Each day the individual is called
upon to sacrifice or surrender seq
ments of liberty which he had as
sumed were inseparable from cit
izenship. How far can this process
of attrition go before the Bill of
Rights becomes only footnote in
history?"