Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-22
Editors Panel
Debates Value
0fBriefingTa Talks
Sessions to Provide
Story Backgrounds
Become an Issue
BY FRANCIS P. DOUGLAS

DaNA6A OAAio AA4AAsSAo 6AfCA W
newspapermen for high Govern
ment officials are taking re-
porting down to the level OF
racketeering." according to one
member of the American Society
of Newspaper Editors.
But the organization also
heard vigorous defenses of the
dinners as valuable means OF
covering the news. It was ex-
planned that chiefly they provide
an insight into the thinking OF
officials as background in report
ing, rather than news stories to
be written currently.
The dinners came up in shop
talk at yesterday afternoons
session of the ASNE convention
in the Hotel Statler.
Four correspondents took part
in a panel discussion of chang
ing patterns of reporting in
Washington. The background
dinners were touched on in their
statements but came up more
emphatically in a question
period that followed.
Carney's Name Brought Out
The discussion was a back
lash of the background dinner
given on March "a by a group
of newspapermen for Admiral
Robert B. Carney. Chief of
Naval Operations. The next
day, news stories reported a
high Government official pre-
dicted a Communist attack on
Quemoy and Matsu by April IS.
Other stories later named ADJ
miral Carney as the source of
the prediction. Appearing be-
fore a congressional committee,
he made a denial.
Roscoe Drummond of the
New York Herald Tribune, who
presided at the panel discus
sion, said Admiral Carney's
name was carried as the source
of the report by newsmen who
had not been at the dinner. He
criticized reporters at the din
ner for having disclosed the ad-
miral's name to reporters not
at the dinner. in violation of a
rule that material disclosed at
such a meeting may be used but
not attributed to the guest.
The chief objection to such
dinners came from Robert P.
Early of the Indianapolis Star.
He asked whether such dinners
were not gang reporting" and
taking reporting to the rack
eteering level.
Little lizard News"
Mr.. Drummond replied that
the dinners represent sound,
aggressive journalism" He also
explained most dinners do not
produce hard news" but back
ground.
Nat Finney of the Buffalo
Evening News, a panel member,
explained the chief advantage of
such meetings is that they pro-
vide information enabling re-
porter to ask incisive questions
when he has an opportunity to
question some official who can
be quoted.
James Reston of the New York
Times advised that too much at
tention is being paid to off-the-
record news conferences and
censorship rules. r
.'The most serious difficulty, /"
he said. ssis not at the level az
the Bic slets but Ut what we call
the pick and shovel level of Gov
eminent officials" He said
that. whereas they formerly were
Informative. there has developed
a marked tendency for them to
become unavailable.
Max Creedman, Manchester
Guardian correspondent, de-
clared that formerly reporters at
the State Department received
briefings on problems of tomor-
row rather than immediate
problems.
Corsi Case Discussed
Mr.. Finney warned against be-
ing swept along in news cur
rents that may not lead to the
truth. He said Columnist Peter
Edison had taken out insurance"
from such a risk and had OBJ
tanned a solid story" on how
Edward J. Corsi. fired by the
State Department, had goofed
on the job"
Mr.. Dummond added foot
note to this, saying that whether
Mr.. Corsi had "goofed" or not,
Secretary of State Dulles had
given four different explanations
why Mr.. Corsi had been fired.
The suggestion made by DR..
Robert M. Hutchins, chairman
of the Fund for the Republic,
for setting up an agency to re-
port on the performance of the
press drew considerable argu-
ment from the editors.
James S. Pope of the Louis
vile Courier-Journal and Louis
vile Times, ASNE president,
said he believes some such step
will come, but that the me-
chanics Of it would be appalling
If an attempt was made to ana
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