The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-10-06
Blue
WATER
BY DENIS sNElGR

press, We might talk about an
enemy Of 4 free press.
In many cities, the Chamber of
Commerce is an enemy of a free
press.
In such cities, newspaper editors
usually are afraid of the Chamber
of Commerce.
Editors and chamber managers,
Of course, will deny these state.
mentS.
But l will tell you of incidents
that prove the statements are
true.
A Chamber of Commerce be.
comes an enemy of a free press
when it attempts to suppress or
withhold the truth.
Chambers are mostly made up
OF businessmen. Editors who fear
a Chamber are afraid the bust.
nessmen will not advertise in the
editors paper.
That is why many editors will
print anything a Chamber hands
cue ~ even If the, ghandout (the
Chamber calls it news release
merely names a few people who
were appointed to an inconsequen-
tial committee.
Chamber managers love such
handouts. They are nice and safe.
They get the names of Chamber
members in the paper. The news
paper usually forgets to follow up
to find out If the committee ever
does anything worthwhile.
But let something happen that
does not make the Chamber look
good and the Chamber will try to
sit on the truth.
Here is an instance:
Before World War II, was work.
ing on a newspaper in Texas. The
Army Air Force, as it was named
then, re-activated a large air base
near the city.
The Aviation Committee of the
Chamber gave a luncheon for the
commander of the base. l covered
the meeting.
After eating, the chairman of the
Aviation Committee arose, cleared
his throat Importantly and spoke
In his speech he said it was only
through the efforts of the Chamber
that the Government re-established
the air base.
Then the commander Of the air
base arose and spoke.
The commander said that the
Chamber had nothing to do with
the re-activation of the base. He
said that if the Government want
ed to put an air base here or there,
it would be put; nothing the Cham
Der could do or say could influence
the Government in its choice of air
base locations.
returned to the paper and
wrote the story, quoting both the
chairman and the commander.
Soon the chairman phoned me.
THAT speech by the commander
was off the record" he said. "Ot
course, you know that"
NO." l told him, II didn't know
that"
There were so or 60 people at the
luncheon and no one said anything
about anything being off the rec
ord, / reminded the chairman.
"'I it was off the record" ]
said, "why invite the press? Any
way, the city editor has the story"
The chairman then phoned the
city editor.
The city editor grinned and ran
the story ON page one. Originally
the story had been scheduled fol-
an inside page.
Here's another instance Of q
Chamber trying to suppress news
=. In this same Texas city the
Chamber gave its annual banquet
This was indeed a big deal with
Several hundred people attending
1 Came the night Of the banquet
and shortly after the guests began
eating, came the ambulances.
: Almost a hundred guests were
Stricken with food poisoning while
u " stiil were In the banquet hall
The ambulances hauled them
awey to hospitals.
Just as quickly, the Chamber
manager was on the phone, telling
the towns three newspapers not to
print anything about the food poi
soning.
. Two of the papers-an afternoon
and . morning dally-agreed to
suppress this news even though
hundreds of people knew about it.
The third paper-another after
noon daiIy-politely told the Cham
Der manager where he could 60.
That paper gave the story front
page play. Consequently, the other
two papers had to use the story
too. Otherwise they would have ap-
peared to be unaware of the news.
Here's another instance:
/ was working on re-write on a
paper in a Florida city. The girl
reporter on the ether end Of the
phone was covering the Chamber
st Commerce.