Show Grave Korean Incident Points Up Need of Informed American Public in two world after participation Unbelievable as it may seem Americans are still pitifully wars in a many unaware of either the trend of international events or of American importance in shaping those Whatever else it may do to place further emphasis on the the recent Korean incident seems fact that most Americans express a certain of attitude about international Too many people find it more enjoyable to read the sports page or the comic strips or the movie page than to digest the national or international As a when a crisis these same Americans are caught Often they wonder why weren't informed of what was going on over in Korea or China or Angrily they demand to know what was the matter with the government anyway that such a situation was permitted to When once a crisis does then the average reader follows it intently and assimilates in short time the most salient facts about the region under Such action indicates that Americans have the ability and the intelligence to understand world-wide Generally what they lack is the desire to keep abreast of the latest diplomatic The entire situation points up the necessity for developing in the public a rather than a spasmodic interest in world But some may claim that the situation is not that Americans really know all that is necessary about national But do In the political campaign for the presidency in a Gallup poll reported that 14 per cent of the population did not know who the Republicans were And some 45 per cent of the people had not heard of Harry S. the man who was to succeed Thus we see the situation in national The lack of knowledge in foreign matters is even more For another poll indicates that six months after the Marsha plan was slightly under 50 per cent of the population had heard of Under these how can Americans make wise How can they determine if the State department or the Defense department or the President of the Congress is following the policy they desire Government officials try to follow public but when that opinion is voiced by only a minority of the the men who formulate our international decisions have no way of ascertaining if the proposed policy is approved by the if it goes too or if it goes far What are some of the remedies that are Perhaps the best is to require the teaching of grade school or high school classes in newspaper reading where subject matter would be based on newsworthy in the learning to sheer propaganda from the Students would be taught to read more than one paper in order to have a balanced news The costs of providing such instruction should not be too The returns in the form of a constantly alert citizenry would be Barbara |