Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-13

augurated by the Frank r. Kent.
President himself, was conducted. II
was gleefully participated in by the
cheaper individuals elevated by him
to important official positions.
1t was an Intellectual affair, be-
cause it was so transparent. The
absurdity Of the charges that the
newspapers habitually suppressed
news and that they were wholly
without influence was demonstrated
first, by the fact that the news.
papers invariably printed the abu.
Sive attacks on themselves; second
by the shameless way in which the
most violent of these press assail.
ants used the very press they de-
nounced for their own propaganda
and glorification.
1t can be argued that the news
papers we're doltS to open theil
columns for either purpose. But
whether they were or not, that il
what they did. Looking back, II
seems a rather debased performance
on the part Of the administration
anu u IlOI NCIy A1lOSIlAeCAAl OAAS NPSAi
the part of the press.
Not Truman Policy.
Clearly the Truman administra-
ton is not going in for this kind
of stuff. OF course, it is too much
for Mr.. Truman to expect the al
most unanimously favorable press
he now has for very much longer.
It would not be good for him or the
country to have that.
Soon or late, as he takes positions
and makes mistakes. as all Presi-
dents must, he is bound to encounter
criticism. Some of this may be
unfair. Some of it may call for
reply. But it is refreshing to real
ize that a calculated and sustained
attack upon the press is not going
to be a Truman policy. There was
never any sincerity in that policy
and not much sense.
This does not mean that the gen.
eral assault has been entirely aban-
doned. It still retains its popularity
with the extreme left-wing ex-
horters. Some of these have begun
to present ideas which in sheer
Stiffness excel any previous presen-
tations.
For example, after a sweeping In
dictment of the newspapers in their
entirety, one of these gentlemen
recently put forth specific instances
to show what he considers the
pitiable plight In which they now
find themselves. In particular, he
insists that the newspapers today
not only fail in their duty to keep
their readers informed but fill their
columns with various types Of "ques-
tionable news"
To prove this point this writer
Mr.. r. z. eyolseley in the Saturday
Review of observation-disclosures that
"a newspaper with strong views on
public issues will spend much money
and time in digging up stories to
expose governmental ineficiency
and oficial abuses" This, Mr.. VOL
seley regards as questionable news, "
and says that space far out of
proportion to its Importance" is al
lotted to this "so-called news"
At any rate, his is a new COM
plant. It will puzzle a lot Of news
papermen who have always believed
that to uncover governmental in
efficiency and abuses was one OF
the basic functions Of the press, the
highest public service it possibly
could render.
View of Pulitzer.
Certainly, such was the view pro-
claimed by the late Joseph Pu-
liter and other great editors Of
the past. That belief is the foun-
dalton of decent Journalism anc
always has been. When that ceases
to be so. then, indeed, the press
will deserve anything that can be
said about it. When that belief
is abandoned, then the plight Of
the press really will be pitiable
and so, too, will be that OF the
Nation.
For If the newspaper habit Of
revealing official inefficiency ano
abuse is to be regarded as un-
worthy, unnecessary and a waste
of time, money and space-it !,
proper to ask how inefficiency and
abuse in public Office ever could be
exposed-and how the American
people ever could be protected
against fools and crooks? What
possible check could there be or
either2 What other agency for the
exposure Of official abuses Is there
anyhow?
These seem pertinent questions
Probably they did not occur to Mr.
Wolseley. Perhaps some light may
be thrown on him by citing q
smaller item in his indictment
This concerns the story of the dog
which Elliott Roosevelt shipped tc
his wife by airplane from Eng.
land to California and to make
room for which serviceman wa.
put of q plane, the dog having
No. ! priority, received, the writel
says, 'by error"
Something of this, Mr.. Wolsele,
comedies, should have been print
ed. But, he declares, ut was OBJ
vious the space devoted to the In
cident was nothing but an attemp
to smear the Presidents family.
What Mr.. Wolseley says was OBJ