Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-08-13
The Press Is Still Free

Four of the eleven members Of news
paper committee appointed to inquire into
Senator McCarthys interrogation last spring
of New York Post Editor James Wechsler have
concluded that some infringement of the con-
stitutionally protected freedom of the press was
involved. In The Stars opinion, this is far
fetched conclusion.
The committee was composed Of members
of the American Society of Newspaper Editors,
and the position of the majority, in substance,
was that they did not like what Senator Nc
earthly had done, but that they were not pre-
pared to charge him with abridging press
freedom.
The facts of the case roughly are as fol-
lows: In his youth Mr.. Wechsler was affiliated
with the Young Communist League. He wrote
two books while under this influence and after
turning against the Communists, wrote two
more. Some or all of these books were on the
shelves of our overseas libraries, which were
under investigation by the Mccarthy commit
tee. There can be little doubt that Senator
Mccarthy seized upon this pretext to heckle and
harass Mr., Wechsler because of things he had
written, not in his books but in the New York
Post There can be equally little doubt, how
ever, that Mr.. Wechsler not only enjoyed and
continues to enjoy full freedom to write as he
dom to the fullest. If Senator Mccarthy has a
low opinion of the editor, that sentiment is
fully reciprocated by Mr. Wechsler, and neither
makes any bones about saying so.
Although the committee claims that Mr.
Wechsler was legally obligated to appear before
it in response to it's request, he says that he
appeared voluntarily In any event. he did not
refuse to answer any question, and he is not
threatened with any punishment for refusing
to answer or for the answers that he gave.
Mr.. WechSler does not claim that he was in
Inundated by his experience and obviously he
was not, although he suggests that other I'M
identified editors might have been inundated.
He does not even claim that his Interrogation
was an invasion of the freedom of the press.
He says that it was 'a fragrant invasion of the
area Of press freedom" whatever that may
mean. --
Still, the minority members of the ASNE
committee believe the questioning OF Mr..
Wechsler was threat to freedom" and they
say: 1--WE would sooner suffer the criticism of
having exclaimed too soon, too much and too
loudly against an invasion of freedom of the
press than endure the reproach of having stood
silently by when government took the first step
toward the silencing of the free press of this
country"
If The Star could believe that the Wechsler
incident was an invasion of freedom of the
press" or first step toward the silencing of
the free press" it would join intellectually in
the minority protest But the facts simply do
not support the position of the minority. There
is not the slightest evidence that Mr.. Wechsler
or any other editor has been inundated in
the smallest degree. There is no basis what
ever upon which a claim of abridgement of
freedom of the press could be advanced and
tested in the courts. There is not the tnieSt bit
Of proof that any newspaper feels less free to
criticize Senator Mccarthy and the Govern
ment today than it did before the interrogation;
on the other hand, there is ample proof that
this is not true. -- ..--.~->...-.....-
In the absence Of some real infringement
on press freedom, newspapermen should not
be crying out in alarm for the protection of
the first amendment The moral in the fable
of the boy who cried wolf" applies as often
to editors as to any one else.