Show FREE PRESS SPREADS LIGHT ON DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE your newspaper lights the way of freedom that is the theme which has ha been chosen for the 1951 observance of national newspaper week the choice Is a fine one for the slogan has far reaching impei cat ions first of all it suggests that where there Is no light there Is no darkness dirk nen in I 1 this case the darkness Is ignorance a night someone hit has said without moon or stars the national newspaper week theme presumes the right to pierce that darkness with the light of information and it presumes at the same lame time the right to keep that light burning in face of all odds for free man has a right to know if there Is a right to know there ther 9 must be a right to tell the men who made this nation considered the right to tell so important that they wrote it into the no 1 amendment to our federal congress shall make no law abridging freedom of speech and freedom of the press but the right to tell is more than a privilege it is a duty elijah lovejoy abolitionist editor at alton ill III believed in his right to carry the lamp of the free press and he knew his duty to light it and keep it burning three times mobs destroyed his printing presses while he was protecting his fourth press lovejoy was shot to ta deith death don mellett the canton ohio publisher kept the spotlight of publicity focused on the racketeers in his community until they ambushed him and shot him at his own doorstep racketeers international or smalltime know the power of the press that is why they must control that power why they must black out the light of public information if they are to attain and maintain a grip on the people that is why half the population of the world is under some form of censorship censo nhip today that Is 1 why gen george C marshall said americans should keep constantly in mind that no people have lost their liberties so long at as their press remained free that Is why in the interest of world understanding and hence in the interest Inte reit of peace our nation seeks actively to spread throughout the world the freedom of the to learn the truth A free press a free people your newspaper lights the way to freedom the vital truth of that message is the one thing national news piper paper week has to sell |