The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-06-09
Working Newsmen's Union
Slams Illinois Grdftinq

! New York (LPA)4lf publisher!
won't fight for ethical standards by
the press, reporters will. That be
came clear when the executive
board of the American Newspaper
Guild slambanged the 81 editors
publishers and other newsmen il
Illinois who secretly drew $480,00
from the state treasury.
The 81 had been on the state
payroll during the regime of form
er Governor Dwight Green, Repub-
lican. Some claimed to have actual
ly served the state for the money
but many admitted they did little
more than write publicity blurbS
for the Green machine in the col
umns Of their papers.
Not single word of criticism OF
the 81 editor-payrollers has come
from any publishers association
The American Society of News
paper Editors launched an invest
igation, but refused otherwise to
issue any condemnation.
However, the Guilds interna-
tional executive board, at a meet
ing here, pulled no punches in
adopting a resolution which wal
loped the 81 Illinois newsmen and
at the same time castigated the
press for lack Of vigilence.
"The preservation of our demo
cracy is dependent upon the swift
and accurate dissemination of com
plete information to the public,
the Guilds board declared. awe
note that a growing number OF
newspapers are decreasing the
amount of space devoted to infor-
nation and editorial opinion.
"a continued policy of depriving
readers of this necessary informa-
+, tion might even result, eventually,
!, in breakdown of representative
government and law enforcement
"This was evidenced in Illinois
! where newspapers generally re-
manned silent while a corrupt poll
tical machine, in exchange for
campaign contributions, permitted
mines to be operated in an unsafe
and dangerous manner.
1T was also demonstrated in the
same state where the silence of the
newspapers permitted alliances to
grow between thugs, gangsters,
politicians and law enforcement
officials.
"Now, it has been publicly noted
that at least 81 newspaper eXecu-
tives and owners in that state were
found to have been on the state
payroll. They drew $4S0,000
for fictitious services. -.
"The conclusion is inevitable
that in accepting these funds they
contributed to the breakdown of
law enforcement in Illinois and ne
elected, perhaps deliberately, to
apprise the people of Illinois of
conditions existing within the gov
ernment.
"The greatest press scandel in
recent years in this country leads
US to assert with all the force at
our command that no self-respect
ing member Of this industry may
accept governmental sinecure
which places him under political
obligation, without sacrificing the
most vital public function of the
presto throw light on the pro-
cesses of government" the Guild
added.
"The delay of the American
press in disseminating the news of
the Illinois scandal indicates q SEN
sitivity about revealing its own de-
fects and leads to the suspicion
that more of such venality may
still be hidden"
Censure of any newsmen who
prostitutes his professional posi-
tion for personal gain" was also
voiced in the resolution, along with
a demand that the press "keep it.
self unblemished and free from
public suspicion