Evening star., 1952-09-21


White House news correspondents
who heard President Truman's recent
denunciation Of the close affinity be-
tween the Republican Party and q
broad majority Of the American press
must have recognized a familiar
theme.
Mr.. Truman's strong criticism Of
the newspaper trend toward "one-
party press" perpetuates a robust
democratic tradition which is almost
as old as the Republic itself. The
practice Of countering the thrusts Of
editors untrammeled pens is an expe-
rience which nearly all Chief Execu-
tives seem to have had in common,
however they may have differed in
policies and detectives.
The Presidents comments in this
case supplemented a. blast few days
before by the Democratic candidate.
Gov. Stevenson. in a speech to an
editors group in Seattle.
A political campaign inevitably sets
up new stresses and frictions. But
Presidents have charged mistreat.
ment by the press in times of war;
during difficult negotiations with
other nations, or while grave do
mestic issues were being debated.
When there were no national ten
sions, certain White House occu-
pants accused reporters of invading
their families private lives.
FDR's Honeymoon
Many Of the newsmen who heard
Mr.. Truman's attack undoubtedly re-
called their problems while covering
the regime Of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Mr.. Roosevelt was publicity minded.
He recognized good story and knew
how to break it. His honeymoon"
with the press lasted about two
years.
Then, as Mr. Roosevelt grew resent
full toward hostile papers, he decried
counting room" control Of the press
and assailed tory" publishers who
fought his program for social and
economic reforms. Later he focused
his wrath on individual correspond
ents. reproving them for apparent
inaccuracies and incompleteness in
their stories.
Never in my 20 years here have
newspaper reporters received as
much advice as to how to do their
work and as much warning against
ight-hngered handling of important
news situations, as in this admins
tration," wrote Raymond Clapper.
But despite frequent and acrimo-
nious disputes with the press, each
OF Mr.. Roosevelt's first three terms
between 1888 and 1945 produced
record harvest of news.
Wilson's Problems
When Woodrow Wilson first took
Office he endeavored to maintain a
flow Of responsible news to the pub
lie via the press corps. But his pro-
gram was never entirely successful.
Speculation in print over his probable
future moves irritated him. He fire.
quently scolded reporters who ques-
toned him too closely. And he was
bitterly angered by stories concern
ing his wife and daughters.
Mr.. Wilson once told the National
Press Club:
Some of you have shown singular
range of omniscience, and certain
things have been reported and un-
derstood in administrative circles
which I had never heard Of until I
read the newspapers. am constantly
taken by surprise in regard to de-
cisions which are said to be my own.
and this gives me an uncomfortable
feeling that some providence is at
work with which I have no COM
munication at ALL"
After the United States became
involved in World War I, Mr.. Wilson
virtually ceased to see reporters. He
set up Committee on Public In
formation headed by George Creel
to work out a censorship policy and
shape public opinion. Under the
Sedition Act. many Socialist and
non-conformist newspapers lost their
mailing privileges, a predicament
that amounted to suppression.
TR's Family
Several years earlier, the same
note Of hostility over publicizing his
family had been expressed by Theo-
dore Roosevelt. He forbade papers
to print details Of his family life,
but authorized full coverage of the
marriage Of his daughter Ethel.
Mr.. Roosevelt set up the first press
quarters at the White House and pro-
vided telephones. In travelling, he
was especially considerate in arrang-
ing for newsmen. But he did not take