Evening star., 1949-04-19
Is the press fulfilling its du

Is the press fulfilling its duty
TO the people?
The American Society Of News
paper Editors. convening at the
Hotel Statler for three days start
ing Thursday. will seek the answer
at Friday morning panel dis
cussion.
1t is a question that boiled to
the surface as a result of the con-
troversial poll-taking and report
ing during last Novembers ma
tional election campaign.
Members of the inquiring panel,
all Of whom have given consider
able study to the subject, are N. r.
Howard, editor. the Cleveland
News. moderator; Paul c. Smith,
editor and publisher. the San
Francisco Chronicle: Tom Hanes.
managing editor, the Norfolk
Ledger-Dispatch; Paul Miller, vice
president. Gannett Newspapers,
and Richard J. FinnegAn, pub
Usher. the Chicago Sun-Times.
To Hear Truman, Acheson.
More than 500 editors from
throughout the Nation are ex-
pected at the convention. Friday
noon they will hear Secretary of
State Acheson In an Off f-the-record
talk. and in the afternoon Presi-
dent Truman will be presented In
a like role.
Sir Oliver Franks, the British
Ambassador. will speak at Satur-
days banquet, ending the sessions.
A feature of this event will be the
presentation of five 500 awards
by Peter Edison, Washington COL
umnist, for the best examples of
work, by Washington correspond
ents. MFR. Edison chose to break up
In this fashion the $500 Raymond
Clapper award he won earlier.
The convention will open at 10
am. Thursday with an invocation
by the Rev. C. Leslie Glen. rector
of st. Johns Episcopal Church.
This will be followed with an ad-
dress by Erwin D. Canham of the
Christian Science Monitor, society
president.
Other Officers to Report.
Reports will be made by Wright
Bryan, managing editor. the At
lanta Journal. society secretary;
Alexander F. Jones, assistant to
publisher, the Washington Post,
treasurer: John Herbert, manag-
ing editor. the Quincy (Mass.) Pa
triot Ledger, nominations; L. r.
Blanchard, executive editor, Gan
nett Newspapers, membership, and
Paul s. Walcott, editor, the Green
field (MassD Recorder Gazette,
resolutions.
j. Russell Virgins, managing
editor, the Washington Post. will
report on the State Departments
"Voice of America" and other
media for international dissent
nation of news and opinion. Basil
L. Walters, executive editor of the
Knight Newspapers, heads COM
mittee to report on World Free
dom Of Information"
At the Thursday luncheon, Paul
G. Hoffman. Economic Co-opera-
ton Administrator will speak on
the European Recovery Program.
In the afternoon managing
editors panel will include William
P. Steven. the Minneapolis Trib-
une, chairman: Norman Shaw,
the Cleveland Press; George w.
Healy, jr., the New Orleans Times
Picayune; Mr.. Virgins. and
George Cornish, the New York
Herald Tribune.
Speakers Thursday evening will
be Senator Flanders. Republican. ).
of Vermont on the subject Of
Federal Pay. Senator Long,
Democrat, of Louisiana on "Ex-
periences of a New Senator;
Senator Byrd. Democrat, of Vir-
ginia and Representative Herter,
Republican, of Massachusetts, on
Atlantic Pact and European Re-
Mobilization"
Fridays sessions open with a
memorial report by Grove Patter-
son, editor. the Toledo Blade,
followed by the panel on "The
Press and the People" In ac-
dition to President Truman. the