The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1945-11-05

% When he first applied for membership in the
Associated Press he failed of election Chicago
newspaper member in good standing objected to the
election of Fields sun the grounds cas- he was en-
titled to object under the bylaws then in forcel' that
for many years the present members have expended
millions of dollars to develop news service which it
would be unfair to make available to competitors OF
the present members in Chicago Newcomers could
buy service from the United Press or from
Hearsts International News Service build up from
scratch their world coverage as the raolo
people have done to some extent. BY Fields wiling
ness to his application and its denial used as
lever or crutch for antitrust against the
Associated Press Field has demonstrated his failure
to see the value to republic OF press free from
government control.
% renewed attempt by Fields sun to gain
membership while the Associated Press is being run
under the supervision of the courts would be proof
that Field is willing to submit the management ana
news judgment Of his Chicago Sun to the superior
control of the government At the present time as
result of the antitrust arising out of the refusal
to admit Field to membership, the Associated Press
is ward of the courts 1t must submit to the courts
some sort of bylaw satisfactory to the courts and then
adopt such bylaw; else 1t may accept bylaw
written by the court for the Associated Press This
bylaw must prohibit vote against any newspapers
On the ground that admission would destroy the
petitive advantages of members. How can even the
wsest Judges in the United States write bylaw to
do that and still leave the Associated Press free?
Field being plainly out of sympathy with the funda
mentals of real free press III the United States is
lust as plainly not a suitable person to admit to the
membership of the Associated Press,
Field should know that any request by him for
admission to the Associated Press will be out of order
until the Associated Press has been freed from act
of Congress from restraint by the courts If and when
Congress relieves cooperative newsgathering organi-
zatns from application Of the Sherman Antitrust
Act then will be time enough to consider fresh
application from Field if he then wants to make such
application.
The board of directors of the Associated Press is
trying to comply with the order of the court by the
second week of February. In the meantime the free
press of the United States which is the precious right
of the people of the United States must look to Con-
eress for correctian of the situation
The courts have done their duty. They have in
terpreted the law and applied it the Associated
Press 1t must be clear to Congress now that law
intended to protect the people against monopoly has
a result never intended when it is applied to mutual
ws-gathering cooperatives such the Associated
Press 1t was further intended to destroy the
right of cooperatves to choose their members or to
use for their benefit the commodty-news- which
they had bought with their own money and reported
by their own efforts.
Cooperative news gathering organizations should
be exempt from the application OF the antitrust laws
Proper legislation enacted before the end of the year
would relieve the court Of duty which must be
dstastefu namely, trying to the free press from
the bench and would to the people confidence
that the report of the worlds and the nations news
is lee from control by the government.