Evening star., 1952-11-12
Press Rights 10 News
OF Federal Activities
Emphasized in Report
By the Assoeioted Press


BOSTON, Nov. 12.-Americans
need to be continually reminded
that a free people must have the
right to get the facts about their
Government and to publish them
without fear of savage and un-
fair reprisal."
That premise was laid down
today in a report by j. Russell
Virgins of the Washington ID. c.
Post at the annual meeting of
the Associated Press Managing
Editors Association, opening a
four-day session in the Sheraton
Plaza Hotel.
Some $50 AP editors from all
parts of the Nation are attending
the sessions which are analyzing
the APPS methods of handling
news.
Three Facts Asserted.
Mr.. Virgins. chairman of the
Committee on Freedom of In
formation. added these rights:
ITO publish them Government
facts) without prior restraint or
censorship:
Access to facilities for dissem-
mating these facts: and
ITO distribute these facts to
Others"
Mr.. Virgins declared a "cour-
ageouS. enlightened and informed
press" is the most effective inStru-
ment for obtaining these rights.
"Newspapermen must carry to
this fight the best available infor-
nation on the long struggle to es-
tabliSh and maintain access to the
transactions of Government in
dispensable to a democratic peo-
pie.
This association has been and
can be of some help in this strug-
gle. 1t is not a fight, however,
that can be won at any one time
or in any one place.
1T must be prosecuted every
time the right to know is chal-
lenged and in every place that it
is obStructed."
Fight on Truman Order Recounted
Mr.. Virgins recounted the man
aging editors fight against Presi-
dent Truman's executive order
which extended "the cloak of mil
itary secrecy to the civilian estab-
liShments of the Government"
While the APME did not sue
ceed in getting the executive Or
der rescinded or amended" he
said, Its opposition undoubtedly
was helpful in preventing the in
flexible enforcement of the order
from more seriously interfering
with the access to information
about the Government"
The association was successful,
Mr.. Virgins said, in obtaining in
formation from the Office Of Price
Sterilization. about non-willful,
non-negligent violators of OPS
regulations. He said the Commit
tee on Freedom of Information
protested against an OPS order
withholding names of such mer-
chants.
The committee contended that
such policy limited of blackmail
because "such persons are
promised immunity from publicity
if they will make restitution in
an amount equal to the over
charges: it conceals from public
knowledge the existence of un-I
just or impractical regulations
-. Z; it sets a precedent, however,
innocently. for secret accusation
secret trial and punishment i
and suspicion and doubt is un-
fairly cast upon businessmen
guilty of no wrongdoing. :"
Casualty Policy Criticized.
Mr.. Virgins criticized military
authorities for "postponing" pub
lication of casualties "of military
or civilian employees of the de-
fense establishment in the zone
of the interior in time of peace.
"The practice of the defense
establishment of deferring for IL
hours beyond the notification of
next OF kin of victims of acci-
dents."' he said, 'is a unilateral
assertion of the right to with
hold information.
ut cannot be defended on mill
tary grounds. It cannot be sup
ported on humanitarian grounds.
The stubborn inSistence of the
military upon the continuation of
this policy has done more than
any other single decision Of the
defense establishment to convince
informed citizens that the mill
tary departments cannot be-
safely entrusted with the right to
decide such issues"