Evening star., 1945-02-22
Price Praises Press
For WhoIehearfed
Aid on Censorship

Its facts" Byron Price, director oi
censorship, told q distinguished
audience last night at the Coolidge
auditorium In the Library Of Con-
greSs.
'"The American press as q whole, >
said Mr.. Price, speaking at cele-
bration Of the installation OF one
of the original copies of the Bill oi
Rights. "has long recognized that its
responsibilities extend far beyond
any compulsion Of law"
Mr.. Price pointed out that unlike
any other great power In this war
the United States has imposed nc
compulsory censorship on publica-
ton of military information" In
stead, the Government merely has
asked for cooperation and the press
has given 1t in overwhelming meas
ure under q voluntary CODE"
Open to Suggestions.
The Government still would well
come "any workable proposal from
any responsible editor, either to
amend the voluntary code or te
substitute some alternative form OF
censorship to help win the war;" Mr..
Price said.
Some editors naturally have dis
agreed with some Of the Govern
ment's requests and have not hesi-
tated to say 50. Others, under
standably worried by the natural
difficulties Of reporting In wartime,
have confused ofIlcial reticence with
censorship and have blamed the
censor for 1t all. But in no case has
censorship attempted even by per-
suasion to stop any editor from
speaking his mind, 50 long as he did
not disclose information of value to
the enemy"
The press, radio and motion pic
lures, Mr.. Price declared, have done
all that could be expected Of them
to withhold dangerous informa-
ton" and on that account "the
spirit and tradition of freedom have
been fortified immeasurably against
every future day Of trial"
This is not to say that patriotic
cooperation in wartime Is the
whole duty of the press. A free
press Is obligated by its birthright
to be competent press, produced
by competent men. The press
neither does its duty nor fulfllls its
destiny If it poisons its news COL
umns with propaganda and private
opinions or is careless Of its facts
or presents editorials written by
the uninformed and swayed by
hearsay, or publishes misleading
advertising or vicious and sensa-
tional gossip from whatever source
One Of Mysteries.
"One Of the mysteries Of ou1
own day is the widespread assump-
ton that syndicated columns on
any subject and In any degree OF
inaccuracy or mendacity, may be
presented to the public Just be-
cause they are bought and paid
for, without the slightest assump-
tion OF responsibility by the pub
Usher. Such a thing makes a
mockery Of common sense and a
travesty Of the First Amendment
to the Constitution"
The radio, q tremendous In
strument Of public expression,
was undreamed of by those who
wrote the First Amendment. Yet
radio must rely for its freedom
on that very principle Of hb-
erty which was penned In 1850. II
q free radio should find its exist
ence threatened, should not such
q threat become the instant and
commanding concern Of Q free
press? And how could the press
hope to remain free If any other
modern agency Of communication,
such as the motion picture, were
to fall into slavery"
MacLeIsh Presides.
Mr.. Price then discussed the
deepening awareness" of ''these
obligations" as we'll "as these oppor-
tunities" within the publishing in
dustry itself. "The task of pro-
noting concrete program of action
is one which should commend itself
to every organization and society
representative of editorial enter
prise"
Archibald MacLeish, Assistant
Secretary Of State, presided.
Earlier In the day the copy Of the
Bill Of Rights to which Mr.. Price re-
ferred as "the antique parchment in
honor we are gathered" had been
presented to the Library Of Con-
gress by Barney Balaban, president
Of Paramount Pictures, Inc, and &C
cepted by DR.. Luther II. Evans, act
ing librarian.
Guests at luncheon given by DR..
Evans In honor Of Mr.. Balaban in
cluded Postmaster General Frank @.
Walker, Senator Claude Pepper OF
Florida. Representative Sol Bloom
Of New York, DR.. Solon J. Buck,
National Archivist; David c.
Mearns., Verne w. Clapp, Dr.. Har-
old Spivacke. Lowell Meuett and
others.