The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1953-05-14

1t was the great pleasure Of
the writer to attend the 68th
annual convention of the Ma
tional Editorial Association
held recently at the Jung
Hotel in New Orleans. Nearly
600 editors from every section
Of the United States attended
and = large number of the
group participated in a 3-day
trip by bus to various points Of
interest around Louisiana fol-
lowing the Mississippi Gull
Coast where they were domi-
ciled at the EdRewater Gulf
Hotel.
Thus this section Of the
country will receive considera-
bic publicity as result OF the
visits Of these editors Of the
non-metropolitan press-and /
believe it will be favorable
publicity. For these editors are
not representatives Of Time,
Life and Fortune and similar
publications. Rather, they seek
in their travels to see each
state Of our country as it is
and to look more for good than
for evil.
I might add that every editor
pays his own way on these
trips. They may be guests of
various groups for a meal or
something of the kind but they
pay their own transportation,
lodging etc.
From the opening banquet
held Sunday evening at which |
Westbrook Pegler appeared |
through the Wednesday ses-
sion there were a number of
outstanding speakers. Missis-
sippi was well represented on
the list with Jimmy Arlington
and Clayton Rand featured on
Monday and Wednesday res
pectively.
was disappointed in Pegler |
for he read his speech--and
although II was a good speech |
it just wasn't as effective as it
would have been had he got
up and let his hair down, so to
speak. VI
However. the, man has been
subject to SO many libel suits
there is good reason for him to
come prepared with a manu-
script.
Contrary to some opinion
Pegler has never had to pay a
dollar for libel--nor has he
ever had to make a retraction.
If l can get a copy of Mr.. |
Pegler's address / should like |
to reprint it.
His topic was Appraisal Of |
the Press and he disposed Of |
the issue by concentrating on |
the metropolitan press and, |
more particularly, the news
magazines such as Time and |
Life. Perhaps he based his
remarks upon the belief that !
the metropolitan press has let |
these news magazines come |
into the field, build up a tre- |
mendous following and exert |
an undue influence on Amer
lean minds and morals.
At this same time Mr.. Pegler |
was politely ignoring an ap-
praisal of the non-metropolitan
press to which he was speak
ing. Perhaps he was afraid we
couldn't take it-and maybe
we couldn't as a group. l did
hear of one publisher who
stayed away from convention
because Pegler was going to
speak.
Mr.. Pegler did not hesitate
to call names.
He called Life magazine the
''peeping Tom" of American
journalism and said that Henry
Luce, publisher of Life, Time
and Fortune, distorts the truth
and emphasizes responsiveness.
He told of how Luce furnished
100000 to investigate the
American press and then load
ed the panel of Investigators
with leftists. On this panel of
men investigating the press
there were So affiliations with
Communist-front organizations,
he said.
Mr.. Pegler said the American
press has failed to give a fair |
picture of the displacement of |
the Arabs in Palestine-that it |
took US years to recognize the
Irish Free State but we rec
orgnized Israel in IS minutes.
Secretary Forrestal wanted |
to retain the friendship of the
Moslem world so that its oil
would be delivered to us rather
than to the Russians, he con-
.inued.
Felix Frankfurter Zone Of the