The Wilmington morning star., 1944-11-10
NEWS
I Urged BY COOPER

,,ru YORK, Nov. s-tR-A posi-
NJ nrogram with adequate en-
i've ,r,ent machinery to assure un-
t '''.sred flow OF news and inf0rna'
t s'as around the world is :. urged by
f0n cooper, executive director OF
Kent C. vv Press, in an article
'oS the ne current issue Oh Lille '''asa-
zine. article describes the former
The The news ne monopoly of the Eruo-
Tofla r ,lS agencies, and the con-
psalIn n'r nress Of the totalitarian
r0le saios and asserts the agrees
countries aa,,ntries could not have driven
Of eou .loonles to war without sys-
t taratic perversion of the new, news a,
"a /, r neonles," Cooper concludes.
S aIf they are not convlncea tnas me ie
II wy nn If free Tvs principles IS
i4ajg responsibility, then once
' aaan, the next war is their war.
again. saaner cites the recent action OF
CoDss, in unanimously endorsing
Cons ;dea Of worldwide freedom of
the NE S' and suggests that If the
n news PAL Parliament followed the ex-
D snnie Of Congress it would help
alp prso ,,slv'' to promote the un-
ss;a 'r flow Of free news. .ao.;o
ne ~ writes that the peace negotia-
Nc "" nm the positive side" should
t a,.r.rtee equal access to news
g gasa it occurs or wherever it
is disclosed. ~ xh
.,o,'ld be two provisions: one that
. ,orsids International transmission
!. .sl nranaganda from one country to
:. .na+ber: and second that forbids !
.escetime censorship in any form.
p' "snd in no country should there
10 nreferential transmission rates,
v vi by radio or telegraph or
+slenhone for it is as easy to stop
1--WE At its sources by putting pro-
i hib;tive prices on wordage as by
outright censorship. It is obvious
tbst radio news involves similar
n r,, that will require similar
answers"
,,rites lone important step would
he to give diplomatic immunities
n news correspondents working
shroad-independently, however, Of
an, diplomatic missions.
'These immunities would mean,
in effect the right to report news
without hinderarce and protection
AGAINST being expelled-should
correspondent become persona non
erata-except By the officials of his
own country.
Besides this. each correspondent
should be guaranteed access to all
tbe governmental news that the
foreign country makes available to
its own newspapermen: and each
correspondent should have equal
chance to transmit his copy"
In cases of violations of the in
Irrational code, Cooper urges that
correspondents should have the
right to appeal through diplomatic
channels to the proper branch of
whatever international authority
comes out of this war. In the i'm
portant capitals, where there are
foreign correspondents associations
these could weigh the grievance
first: and if the complaint were JUS
titled, the petition could be made
with the authority of the whole
fCreign-press corps.
If the Dumbarton Oaks agree
ment results in establishing an &C.
cnomic and social council, it could
be this council that would look into
Violations. The council could estab-
llsh its own code, make certain
that abuses are corrected. and-if
lney are not corrected-make them
PUNISHABLE by international force.
force, in such a case, would mean
cutting the offending country off
from other nations, or else invok-
Ais sanctions against it.
lhls may seem severe, but who
can say it is really drastic if we
are TO attain the goal at which we
are aiming? More drastic methods
nave ceen suggested to end wars
anu many Of them have not even
pretended to get at the basic
causes"