Evening star., 1951-04-13
Improved Techniques
In Writing Of News
Noted in AP Report
BY the Assoeioied Press


NEW YORK, April 13.-Do you
tlnd your newspapers more inter-
eSting these days? And are the
news reports you get over the ra-
dio more Informative than for
merly?
Frank J. Starzel. general man.
ager of the Associated Press, noted
in his annual report today that
there has been behind-the-scenes
activity by newspaper and radio
groups to improve service to the
reading and listening public.
The public hasn't been generally
aware Of the campaign, but it in
cludes improved writing tech
niques and a broad program o1
stories which give better back
ground and explanation to spot
news developments. It includes
also more cultural and religious
news.
Mr.. Starzel said the content of
the Associated Press news report
is being studied in an effort "to
find fields in which the report does
not come up to the volume and
quality justified by reader inter-
est"
The AP. worldwide news CO.
operative, serves 2,788 newspapers
and radio stations in the United
States and nearly 900 in 73 other
countries.
Annual Meeting April %.
Mr.. Starzel's report was mailed
to Associated Press members in
advance of the associations an
nual meeting in New York April
%. Lewis w. Douglas. former
Ambassador to Britain, will speak
at the annual luncheon.
4 Mr.. Starze1 said writing i'm
provements were pursued through
close cooperation with the Asso-
ciated Press Managing Editors
Association and through studies
by State associations of AP news
paper and radio members. He
said the APME HAS become rec
ognized as great force for the
improvement of journalism gen.
orally"
Reviewing APPS operations dur
ing 1850, Mr.. Starzel said that
"In spite of the tremendous effort
required to cover and report hos
tilitieS in Korea, the service
progressed in every field through
out the world"
"War abroad and high-tension
controversies at home made 1850
a year which tested to the fullest
the reSourcefulneSs and the sta
bility of the Associated Press
staff" Mr.. Starzel said. There
had to be abrupt changes in as
Signments and in planning gen.
orally. Volunteers again went
overseas to cover battles and en-
dure the dangers and the hard
ships along with the fighting men,
And the intensity of theological
differences, at home and abroad,
created pressures which the staff
had to resist in it's adherence to
the principle of fair, objective re-
porting"
War Reporting Praised.
Discussing war coverage, Mr..
Starzel said:
Communications were poorly
organized or non-existent. report
ing in the field was on hit-or-
miss basis, and the matter of Sc
curity and censorship was a vacil-
1ating business which frequently
cost conscientious men substan-
tial beats.
Given a complex news situa-
ton like that-plus the violent
fluctuations in battle fortunes-itI
is wonder the Korean War was
covered with the skill and the
thoroughness which it was.
A. P. men went everywhere that
American fighting men went and
the eyewitness report of the men
who saw it happen became the
accepted, but never the common
place, thing. In the course of this
front-line coverage, one A. P. man,
William Moore, was listed as miss
ing July 20 and later reported
killed. Another. Photographer
Frank Noel. was captured by Chi
nese Communists and was re-
ported later to be in a prisoner
of-war camp"
OF news coverage, at home and
abroad, in 1850, Mr.. Starzel said:
I'VE are tremendously proud of
the way the staff came through
under fire and in the face of ex-
traordinary difficulties. Again
the performance of A. P. men and
women, everywhere, measured up
to the great traditions of the
service"