Evening star., 1944-02-20
By PALMER HOYT.
4
Publisher of the Portland Oregonian

former director Of the owl.
PORTLAND, Ore. Feb. 19.-After
six months in Washington as di-
rector of the domestic branch of the
Office of War Information, I am
entirely convinced that this Gov
ernment agency has a worthwhile
and important service to perform in
the interest of the press and the
public
Regardless Of the founding con-
cept. and some opinion to the con-
trary. the domestic branch of the
Office of War Information today is
definitely not a propaganda agency.
Its primary job is to get the news Of
the day to the press from the mill
tary, naval and civilian authorities
as quickly and completely as pos
sible within the limits of military
security.
Its functions properly divide
themselves into three parts: One, to
obtain the release of military and
naval news quickly and adequately
for benefit OF press and public: two,
to see that all possible news is OBJ
tained from the civilian war agencies
with as few confusing statements as
possible: three. to obtain and chan
mel all available information on all
phases of the war for all of the
media that go to make up the press.
This, of course, includes advertising
and radio time which is being given
to the Government currently at the
rate of about $500, 100000 a year.
War Has Different Meanings.
War is an experience which holds
different meaning for each citizen.
To the man at home it meant one
thing; to the soldier in action. an
other; to the Government Official,
third meaning; to the sailor on
lonely patrol. fourth. None of
these has any way of understand
ing what the experience Of the 9TH
ers might be. Only news-complete
and full news coverage-can bring
about that necessary and mutual
understanding.
I believe it is essential to have a
civilian agency and Government
concerned primarily with getting out
the news whether it be stories or
pictures, or whether it be for news
papers, for radio, for magazines or
for motion pictures.
1t is also my considered Judgment
that the newspapers and the news
services cannot do this job by them
selves. In the first place, the COM
petitive angle is always present. If
News Association A has excellent
contacts with, we'll say, the Navy,
and is able to get occasional exclu-
sive stories, they are not particu-
larly concerned with the fortunes
of News Association B, which is
maybe having its troubles with the
Army. And this Is the kind of serv-
ice that the newspapers getting out
the news should insist on from their
own agency. to wit, the domestic
branch of owl.
MY Business Is News
Elmer Davis. head of the Office Of
War Information, and George w.
Healy, jr., domestic director, are
both firmly committed to getting out
all the news, all the time. not locked
in security: but they can't do it
alone. They need the backing and
the insistent urging of press and
public alike.
l am a neWspaperman, and my
business is news. But so is news the
business of the American public.
No democracy can survive in this
modern and complex world with
out free flow of complete informa-
ton. No democratic form of govern
ment can survive for long either the
Withholding of vital news or the
manipulation OF important informa-
ton.
Because of the difference in train
ing and professional attitude be-
tween career military people and
career newspapermen, it is difficult
to flnd a common ground on which
to base a sound structure of war
reporting.
100 Few Know Problem.
For example, a typical military
expert could conceivably want no
news published about the war until
it was finally won, and then perhaps
his communique might read some
thing like this: "We won"
On the other hand, typical pro-
fessional newspaperman might want
all Of the news at the moment it
occurred without any regard for &C
tual security. To find the middle
ground of common sense is Owls
biggest job.
Two few people in Government
understand the problem. To illu-
strate, I was once telling a men,
ber of the House Naval Affairs