Evening star., 1944-04-21
Roy Roberts
Asks Safeguard
OF Free Press
Keep Channels for
News Open, He Tells
Editors Meeting
picture on Page Al

Roy Roberts, managing editor OF
the Kansas City Star and president
OF the American Society of News
paper Editors, today called on mem-
bers of the organization, at the
opening of its 22d annual meeting,
to safeguard freedom of the press,
remaining aware of its respon-
sibilities.
Mr.. Roberts told the group, meet
ing at the Statler Hotel, that this
country will retain a free press "as
long as we deserve it-no longer"
He also pointed out that news
papers must insist on their right of
access to international conferences,
especially the great final peace con-
ferences."
Keep Channels" Open.
TO be the policeman to keep
the channels of news open," he said,
is first duty of this society and
membership
Half a dozen protests have been
made in the past year against closed
meetings, including the unsuccessful
one over the stern news control
attending the United Nations
food conference, according to Mr..
Roberts.
Gen. George C. Marshall. Chief OF
Staff, and Gen. H. H. Arnold. COM
manding general of the Army Air
Forces, talked to the editors at a
luncheon today. The meeting was
closed to every one but members.
The remarks CT both military COM
manoers were off the record, to be
used by the newspaper executives as
background material in helping
them to interpret news stories.
During their two-day session here.
the editors also will confer with
SECRETARY of State Hull, Admiral
Ernest j. King and 1t. Gen. Alex-
ander A. Vandegrift, commandant
OF the Marine Corps.
Speakers will include Davis Law
renee, editor and columnist; WAL
ter Lippmann, columnist; John s.
Knight of the knight Newspapers:
Arthur Treanor, Booth Newspapers:
Erwin D. Canham, Christian Science
Monitor. and A. H. Kirchofer, Buff
falo Evening News.
To Meet With Congress.
Members of the society will meet
with eight members of Congress
tonight for a panel discussion on
possible changes in rules and pro-
cedure to streamline the work of
Congress. Those who will partici-
pate in the talks, to be held at the
Capitol, will be Senators O'Mahoney,
Democrat, of Wyoming; Maloney,
Democrat, of Connecticut; La Fol-
lette, Progressive, of Wisconsin, and
Ball, Republican, of Minnesota, and
Representatives Cannon, Democrat,
of Missouri; Monroney, Democrat, of
Oklahoma; Halleck, Republican, of
illinois, and Case, Republican, of
South Dakota.
Mr.. Roberts, in his opening adj
dress today. pointed to three major
problems facing the editors in the
months ahead: Cd Winning the
war, CD election campaigning and
81 foreign policy.
On the question of the war, Mr..
Roberts said, the job of the new3-
papers remained "to keep the home
front sound" by being constructive
rather than destructive in criti-
cism." He reminded the editors
that Hitler and the Japanese can
hope to escape complete defeat only
by cracking the Allied home front.
Urges Press as Election Guide.
Newspapers can be of tremendous
help in keeping the coming election
campaign on IAN American basis
not down in the sewer" Mr.. Roberts
said. He urged them to chastise
mercilessly any one who ''indulges
in smearing as an argument"
ITO guide and to inform the
American people sanely and con-
structively in all the animosities a
political campaign naturally will
arouse is one of our first duties
now" he said.
AS for foreign policy, Mr. Roberts
added, there are certain fundamen-
tai principles to which everyone can
cling. despite differences on details.
Only by conceding agreement on the
main issues, he said, can any really
democratic government such as ours
function in foreign policy"
Mr.. Roberts also pleaded for a
return to the "old-fashioned report
ing and open sources of news, direct
from responsible heads to the re-
porter"
With the end of the war, if not
before he said, I'VE must have an
end to the flood of Government
propaganda. The horde of press
agents that have engulfed Wash
ington should be driven out. The
same practice of bureaucracy has
developed in business until we are
submerged with releases on every
thing except the weather"
Mr.. Roberts also demanded equal
treatment in world communications
for our American agencies and a
breakdown of any monopolies, Gov
ernment-fostered, that put our press
services at disadvantage"
He urged editors to set the pace
in thinking for our people" and not
leave this responsibility to "our
often badly spoiled newspaper COL
umniSts."
Editors Hear Col. Hobby.
Col. Oveta Culp Hobby, director
of the WAC and former editor of
the Houston (Tex) Post, expressed
her gratitude to the American press
for its favorable Interpretation of
the women's army and asked for
continued assistance in recruiting
new members.
Col. Hobby recognized that there
was tendency in the beginning ito
make something novel out of the
WAC"
That was two years ago. she
said, before the whole country be-
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