The daily monitor. (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1940-1942, 1942-03-16
~ PETER EDSok
Dolly Menitev Washington
CoVsospondont

Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 'l6
-How's censorship doin'?
Press and rodio censorship
codes have operated about Two
months now, and with thot
much experience reeIed off,
its possible to moke an op-
proisol.
When tire President an
nounced erection Of the Office
Of Censorship, the first words
of his settlement were, "All
Americans obhor censorship.
Byron Price. named director
of censorship, hos gone on
from there. He odmits that
censorship of any kind is oil
wrong in principle. thot II is
contrary to everything thot the
American people have been
fought, that it is q nuisance. It
is. however. q wortime neces-
sity. so the job is to make the
best Of it.
The censorship established
is called voluntary. The gen.
eroI principle is thot informo-
ton cannot be printed or
broadcast which will give old
or comfort to the enemy. II is
then up to the newspapers and
the radio s+otions to observe
thot principle. When in doubt,
ask the censor.
The experience thus for
seems to be thot 1913 or o9.o
per cent of the press and the
radio ore not only willing but
eoeer to abide by this volun-
tory rule. In foct, they lean
over backward to observe il,
often voluntarily SURPRISING
information to which the GEN.
sors, if asked, might give op-
provoI. Thot's all to the good,
for it's better to be sofe than
WolGLD SLIT THROAT
There have been mistakes.
There will probably continue
to be mistakes. Some informo-
ton hos slipped into general
circulation which should have
been censored. When these
slips have been eoIled to the
attention Of the editors and
broodcosters, they have prom
ised not to repeot. As one edi-
tor put it, he hod instolled an
automatic throot-euttino mo-
chine in his office, for use il
he wos ever guilty Of the Of
Tense again. soc
One of the most omozing
manifestations Of this volun-
tory censorship hos been the
way the general public hos
checked up on its fovorite
news q pers and rodio an
ncuncers. Let q little news get
out which some keen reader
or Iistener-in thinks an old OF
comfort to the enemy and,
whom! - in come letters Of
protest accusing this or thot
dirty dog Of being q spy. Even
the Office of Censorship gets
scores Of these letters from
seIf-oppointed, volunteer Gen.
sors. Some ore from cronks
wro think they find hidden
messages in crossword puzzles
and so on. Others ore useful
tips, for no office could be set
up to reod all tie newspapers
or listen to all the broodeosts.
Checkups of this kind from
shorp-eyed and -eored citizens
ore pointed to as perfect ex-
ompIes Of democracy func-
tionine at its best.
As for the i or the Z pei
cent who won't play this wal
game according to these rules
I'VE will cross that bridge
when we come to it," soys Di-
rector of Censorship Byron
Price, 1T we come to it,"
And he hopes and believes II
won't be necessary to put on
the screws.
As q matter Of foct, anyone
who wants to beat these vol.
untoy censorship codes car
probably do it. As for as pub.
licotions ore concerned, there
is no law that con be applied
save the espionage law, under
which intent to give informo-
ton to the enemy must be
proved before conviction cor