Evening star., 1946-04-01
AP Board 10 Discuss
Broadcast News Ban
With u. ). Official
BY the Associated Press

NEW YORK, April 1.-Assistant
Secretary of State William B. Ben
ton said last night he had been
invited to meet April II with the
Board Of Directors of the Associated
Press which recently decided to dis
continue furnishing news to the
Government for foreign broadcast.
In withdrawing AP service, the
board held that Government can
not engage in rewscasting without
creating the fear of propaganda
which necessarily would reflect on
the objectivity of the news services
from which such newscasts are pre-
pared"
Mr.. Benton, addressing the annual
forum of the New York Newspaper
Women's Club, declared that fear
of Government competition, rivalry
between the wire services" and
plain dislike of Government" had
influenced the board.
He said the AP decision "precipi-
tated the same action by the United
Press"
Board Member Answers.
Arthur Hays Sulzberger, publisher
of the New York Times and a men,
Der OF the AP Board of Directors
who followed Mr.. Benton to the
speakers stand, departed from his
prepared text to take brief note. of
Mr.. Benton's speech.
Had Benton been more judicial,
I do not think he would have been
as facile in attributing to the AP
board the motives he claimed shaped
their decision" he declared.
Mr.. Sulzberger said he was not
speaking for the AP board, since
he was only one member of it and
was not authorized to speak for
it, and added that he was not pre-
pared to enter a debate since the
forum had not been intended as
such.
Mr.. Benton declared, "The idea
that the United States Government
would in fact influence or corrupt
the AP service is manifestly absurd.
Any Government official who at
tempted it would be ridden out Of
Government by the press and by the
Congress
Foreign Agencies Cited.
Mr.. Sulzberger said: Il happen to
have been present when the board
took its unanimous action and Mr..
Benton was not in the room.
Without entering into a debate
I can point out that three great
foreign agencies, Havas of France,
TaSs of Russia and the old Reuters
not the present agency-of Britain
were used by their governments to
promote their way of life and ma
tional aims, and as a result were
regarded with the gravest suspicion
in the good newspaper Offices"
Mr.. Benton gave as "other and
powerful factors which motivated"
the AP board:
l. Plain dislike of government,
and attitude of if it's the govern
ment, I'm against it,
2. The fear of competition.
Some of the board members who
made the decision persisted in fear
ing that the Government was 60
ing to operate rival wire service.
The second kind OF competi-
ton which they feared is that old
bogey, voice broadcasting of news"
u. S.-Soviet Relations Topic.
g. Rivalry between the wire serv-
ices themselves. - For many
years the United Press had main
tanned an extensive service to for
eign countries. y Now. the ASso-
ciated Press is developing in many
new foreign markets. It needs sales
arguments and will have them, par
ticularly if it can get the jump on
UP. 1t wants to show that the AP
is virtuous, too. The State Depart
ment seemed an easy punching bag
for quick sales advantage"
Mr.. Sulzberger, in his address on
responsibilities of free press, spoke
at length on Russian American re-
lations.
1--WE must convince them Cthe
Russians) of that which you and I
know-that our hearts and minds
are pure" he said.
They seem utterly unable to
comprehend that we have no de-
signs on them. Living in a do-as-
you-would-be- -done-by world, they
find it difficult to understand that
we are quite willing to have them
follow their own philosophy of gov
ernment if they will accord us the
same privilege"