OCR Text |
Show JUDGE ATTACKS ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS SERVICE On April S, Judge George Dayton of the United States court for the northern district of West Virginia, in charging the federal grand jury, said: "The Associated Press is the largest larg-est and most Influential news agency in the world. This gigantic monopoly Is selling the news to thousands of newspapers, and this service, instead in-stead of being news In a fair and Impartial Im-partial manner, is made to serve personal per-sonal and selfish purposes." This statement is viewed by those familiar with the Associated Press as a prejudiced opinion of a judge wholly unfamiliar withe organization. organiza-tion. The editor of the Sacramento Bee, who is one of the directors of the Associated Press, points out the error, saying: "If Judge Dayton had made even casual Inquiry he would have found the Associated Press not only docs not sell news, but is not permitted by Its charter to do so. or to make any profit from conduct of Its business. busi-ness. "It is permitted only to collect for and distribute to its own members, the news of the world, and to apportion appor-tion the expenses incurred to those members on an agreed assessment plan. "The same casual inquiry would have convinced him that the news report of the Associated Press, be cause of Its method of organization, cannot be used "to serve personal and selfish purposes," aud must nec-, essarily be as fair and Impartial as is possible to obtain under human conditions. "The Associated Press is composed Of over S00 members, representing the most diverse opinions and interests inter-ests In all matters handled by the report, each one watching It dally to see that those interests are not unfairly un-fairly presented, and prompt to complain, com-plain, If, through the carelessness or disloyalty of an employe, they are. "And to enforce impartial handling of the news, each member has the benefit of his own full vote, the machinery ma-chinery of his circuit, the Advisory Board of his division and the power of the directors, one or more of whom come from his division. "It will be a sorry day for the free Institutions of this country when a general news agency conducted on the lines of the Associated Press ceases to exist and the public is forced forc-ed to base its opinion of all important import-ant matters entirely on the news reports re-ports prepared by private interests." nn |