Evening star., 1943-02-12

American Society of Newspaper
Editors, in session here today and
tomorrow, is firmly convinced the
American people ARE willing to do
anything for victory. providing
they are told what to do by lntelli-
gent leadership"
Mr.. Roberts, whose paper is one
OF the oldest and most influential
in the Middle West. criticized Fed
eral off1cials for trying to lay out
a general pattern OF war restric-
tions to apply to all sections of the
country.
If all rationing were handled by
people who know something about
the commodities in which they are
dealing" he said, there would be
lot less trouble.
Fewer Lectures Needed.
"Ofncials in Washington seem to
have an awful desire to lecture. The
American people ought not to be
lectured. They think lot of things
are being done stupidity. You could
get about so per cent OF the opposi-
tion to rationing eliminated if it
were handled intelligently
Mr.. Roberts warned of the dan
gerous tendencies" inherent in the
Office of War Information. He said
he liked Owl Director Elmer Davis
personally but that the organization
of the Federal information agency
mad unpleasant implications.
Whenever you try to funnel news
and control it at its source" he de-
clared, you get into the field of
propaganda. There isn't one man
in a million who can control news
in this way without becoming in
volved in propaganda"
The newspaper executive said he
believed censorship, under the guild
ance of Byron Price, was being han
died efnciently.
Newspapers Important.
Mr.. Roberts said he believed the
newspapers were willing to be
rationed as much as necessary In
newsprint and other materials need
ed to achieve victory, but he said
he did not think theey ought to be
cut much more because of the i'm
portant part they are playing in
keeping the American people in
formed on war developments.
Newspapers are vital, living"
contribution to the war effort, Basil
l.. Walters, executive editor of the
Minneapolis Star-Journal and Trib-
une, said.
They would offer a valuable con-
tribution to that effort" he said, If
only in the role of acting as sort of
secretary to their community.
Recognition by Government.
The Government recognizes this,
too. when it depends on the news
papers for carrying its policy mess
ages to the people. Whether it is
in the field OF rationing, scrap drives
or Red Cross campaigns, the main
sources Of information for the pub
lie are still the newspapers-and
they are doing the job we'll"
Speaking of Government censor
ship. Mr.. Walters. who is secretary
OF the ASNE, said that voluntary
censorship is working out salts
factorily.
Byron Price is doing a wonderful
job and L don't look for any appre-
ciable change in the voluntary set
up. Most papers, I believe, agree
that no story is worth a human life.
Once the enemy, however, is known
to have certain information, that
information should not be kept from
the public"
Erwin D. Canham. managing ed
ltor OF the Christian Science Mon
lGor, said that wartime demands
has made the newspapers "less par
tlsan and more objective"
Mean More to Community.
Newspapers" the member of the
board OF directors of the ASNE said
are stronger, fundamentally, than
ever before because of this.
They mean more to the commu-
nifty because the links between the
papers and the communities are
more binding. The newspapers have
shown that they can make sacrifices
and still contribute more substan-
TALLY to the war effort. This
achievement OF high degree of
freedom of the press during time OF
war is another major triumph for
the democratic way. The news
papers, as no other media, are in a
position to better clarity and in
tegrate the events SO vital to all of
us today
Wilbur Forrest, assistant editor of
the New York Herald Tribune, said
that newspapers have to pull in a
few OF their horns and weather a
few restrictions"
May Spur improvements.
Newspapers" he said, have ad-
justed themselves to a loss of ad-
vertising and a reduction OF size
generally-and it may be a good
thing, too In some way, newspapers
got too big. Papers in the United
States, though, won't be reduced to
the small journals of Great Britain
the problems there are different.
The cut in neWsprint probably
will result in closer and better edit
ing-newspapers will be even more
readable
voluntary censorship" said Mr.
Forrest, who is a member of the
board of directors of the ASNE
has been a great success in this
country and there appears no rea-.
son why voluntary method should
not remain for the duration OF the
war as the best, most worka BILE
method of censorship in a de-
mocracy"
Wallace Confident.
Tom Wallace, who has been editor
OF the Louisville (KyD Times for the
last IL years and is member of the
society's board OF directors, expressed
confidence in the ability of Ameri-
car newspapers to survive the war,
whatever restrictions may be found
Weather Repo
FURNISHED by the Unite
-, - -