The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1946-11-08
WHO OWNS THE PRESS?
Py KNEELAND sTRANAHAN

Ply KNEELAND STRANAHAN
who owns the press, and why?
when you read your daily pape
Tor favorite magazine), are you read
ing facts, or propaganda? And who's
propaganda?
who furnishes the raw material TO
your thoughts about life? Is it homes
lmaterial?"
Twenty years ago Upton Sinclair
completely answered those questions
in his famous fact-packed book 1.-THE
Brass Check A Study of American
Journalism"
Read These For Press Facts
Other documented books have
brought Sinclair's exposure up-to-date
further proving that our leading news
papers, magazines, press associations
and syndicates are big business, that
they almost always defend special
privilege in news columns, editorials
. and articles, and oppose and mispres-
ent labor, progressive forces and all
economic, political and social mea-
sures in the interest of the general
welfare.
Best works about American journal
ism include: Freedom of the Press"
| 1888, and 1.-THE Facts Area Guide
to Falsehood and Propaganda in the
Press and Radio" 1942) all by George
Seldes; Hearst Lord of San Simeon"
| 1886 by Oliver Carlson and Ernest
Sutherland Bates; Imperial Hearst"
(1936 by Ferdinand Lundberg; "The
News and How to Understand 1t"
Q94O) by Quincy Howe; and two
chapters in Americas 60 Families
1937), that bomb-shell of book by
Ferdinand Lundberg, which tells who
really control America and how they
do it.
No persons knowledge of American
history and current problems is COM
plete without the information con-
tanned in these books All of them are
on the shelves of every public library.
Publicity Law Helps Readers
Even without these valuable books
every Peoples Voice reader can an
swer for himself: Who really owns
and publishes my daily newspaper and
favorite magazine?
During the first ten days of each
October every publication except reli-
gious. fraternal. temperance, and sci
entific journals, must file and publish
in its pages sworn statement, giving
its total circulation figure (f it is a
daily or weekly and naming the pub
Usher and all persons, corporations
and estates owning or holding one per
cent or more of the common stock,
bonds, mortgages, and other securities.
This information is required by acts
Of congress passed August "a, 1912 |
and March 3, 1888 Any publication
failing to comply is denied second
class mailing rights.
Thus under the law the Butte, Mon
lana Standard, for example, must
yearly remind its readers that its sole
stakeholder and bondholder is the
Tairmont Investment Co., % Broad
way, New York City, subsidiary of
he Anaconda Copper Mining Co.
Those Time and Newsweek
Stockholders
And thus once year the readers of
hose two widely-circulated news :
magazines Time and Newsweek get a
rood look at the names of the big .
tanker and other stockholders.
Holders of one per cent or more of
he common stock in Time magazine
include the bankers Brown Brothers,
Hartman &c Co. Cobb & Co, % New
'ork Trust Co; J. p. Morgan & Co,
Or the account of Morgan partner /,
Ienry p. DAWSON; Irving Trust Co.
Holders of one per cent or more of
ne common stock in Newsweek mag .
zine include Arthur " Anderson; .
larry Cushing Aston and Vincent =
stor; w. Averell Hartman, Wall
treeter and new secretary of COM +
Ierce; Gordon S. Hargraves; Charles !,
Bonner; the Mccall Corporation. :,
BACKGROUND of the Publicity Law a
How it happens that all publications o
Just annually reveal who owns them c
an interesting story in itself.
Liberal members of the 62nd con-
-ess succeeded in making newspaper n
lblicity law by an amendment to S
lie Postal Appropriation Act of 1912.
riginally the law required seminar g,
lal filing and publication of press h
But a later amendment, il
lded in 1888, reduced filing and pub il
city time to once a year. 1t was the r,
.iginal 1912 act, however, which to O
lis very day compels newspapers and