The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-05-06
Observations
Senators Not Too
Complimentary TO 4
News Reporters
BY Charles p. Stewart

United States senators are not
exactly complimentary to Wash
ington's newspapermen in asking
10 be permitted to sit in on all the
reporters press conferences with
high executive officials.
These conferences OF course
are mass interviews. Naturally
It is not practicability for the
average governmental higher-up
10 be questioned by the boys one
at a time So the system is for
each official to have his regular
series Of dates. when. he receives
the whole gang, all in a crowd.
An occasional special pet doubt.
less snOops in by himself, sur.
reptitiously, but il isn't the rule.
II doesn't popularize him with the
rank and lille of his profession.
Furthermore, dope that he gets in
this fashion has to be so fully au-
thenticated as to amount to a def.
mite statement from headquarters.
II not it's suspected as a fake. And
definiteness is just what afficial-
dom generally wants to dodge. II
the stuff's origin is doubtful, it's
N. g. Otherwise it's apt to raise
Cain.
Well. suppose we have a whole
herd OF correspondents, quizzing a
single official.
You might say that the net re-
suit should be fairly representa-
tive.
Such, however, isn't necessarily
the case.
The officials tendency is to
duck and dodge. And the cores.
pondents' tendency is to be might
lily careful how they quote him,
because. If they err, they've got
stable audience OF witnesses to
call Inaccurate quotationeers TO
account.
The insides OF these debates is
what the Senate is trying to probe.
| presume the House OF repre-
sentatives is equally curious, but
the Senate started the quiz.
Democrats. as well as Republi-
cans, are in on it.
The initiative was taken by
Chairman Frederick Van Nuys OF
the upper chambers judiciary
committee
He began with a demand for
senatorial representation at In
formation Director Elmer Davis
press conferences. Elmer was
quite acquiescent. He's an infor-
nation man by occupation.
He's had more trouble than any
other wartime executive. This
isn't because he's secretive. It's
because he tells more than some
of his associates approve. The
Senate doesn't want him unduly
corked up.
Accordingly, the first OF these
get-togethers was perfectly har-
monious.
However. other big executives
than Elmer Davis don't enjoy so
much leakage from their various
departments and commissions in
Congress direction. There are
matters that they want to keep
hushed up, at least temporarily.
Well. the question may be asked.
considering that these affairs pri-
marily are press conferences. why
don't the lawmakers read the
newspapers and thus find out
what's asked and answered In the
privacy Of journalistic hullabaloo?"
All. that's exactly why remark
I'd, above. that the senators aren't
particularly complimentary to the
correspondents aggregation in in.
Sisting on overhearing all that they
ask and are told. They simply
are skeptical that the boys print
everything that they find out.
There's ground for this suspl-
cion. A scribe who. soaring up
some confidential facts. and D1b-
fishing 'em, against official warn
lngs to the country. is due to find
himself on the outer doorstep the
next time he visits that sanctum
Tor more news.
The fact is that, generally speak
ING l0e eAtCullNe ana leslsldllNe
branches OF the government are.
10 one another. as hostile as the
dickens in times OF emergency.
The press is the liaison between
EN- and they're both suspicious OF
1t.
We know how reluctant the exc
cutive crew has been to advices
concerning the antepost.war dis
cussions OF late.
CLike the food conference, for
instance.)
Well, the apprehension natural.
ly was that they'd be unskillfully
publicized.
Is that a compliment to our
press?
Congress manifestly stands pat
for journalism versus officialdom.
But does it stand pat enough?
ID I Il