PAGE TWO

GRIN'N'ELL SCARLET AND BLACK

Member or
IOWA COLLEGE PRESS assooIA'rmN

National Advertising Service, Inc.
College Publisher: Rellrcmlimioc

«20 maroon 1w: NEW its“. N.\’.
:uleaao -Iosvon . LniAHnlLls ~SM Funnrlim

Memhcr

Dissocialed Colletfliale Press

Distributor or
ColleESlClle D1695i

Editorial offiuus: Grinncll Herald-Register, sis Filth Ave.:
Telephone. 249. Room 222 Alumni nonunion Hull: Telephone.
iii

A somidvcekly nupspumr published ml. \Vcdnesdny and
Saturday or the college your by the Grim-loll Student Pubhall-
ins mmpzlny. Herschel in. Colbert, president of this board,

Entercd as second class matter at «he post nilicc it Grin-
Mll, low, under the nct at March a. 1m,

Clyde Bates
Ray 0. Gustufsoll

Managing Editor
Business Manager

Editorial Director .. ,
stout Business Mnnogcr
ulatinn Manngcr .

“’ednesng April 23, 1941

rhino Bridzllzm
‘1

“There Will Be N0 Censorship”

President Roosevelt said a few days ago in
a letter to the American Society of News
paper Editors that free speech is an undis-
pllted possession of the press, and that there
would be no government control of news un-
less it be of vital military importance

To the discriminating observer, however,
to say that the American press has undis-
puted freedom of speech is sheer nonsense;
and it is entirely out of order in any con-
sideration of the present American news-
paper setup.

All of which brings to mind a number of
factors of press control which lie outside the
realm of official censorship as such, but
which determine, perhaps even more than
possible government regulation, the “truths”
that are read by the public, namely:

1. The power of government officials
to withhold information from the press.

2. The influence of government offi-
cials over editors to request the sup,
pression of facts.

3. The efforts of government to mold
public opinion toward predetermined
ends.

4. The control exercised by financial
and advertising interests over news-
paper policy.

5. The prejudices of the editors in
judging news values—“Voluntary Cen—
sorship."

These and many other points are vital in
any observations concerning news control.
‘And because these methods are in actual
practice at the present time, Press Censor-
ship does exist.

How many times, when reading your
newspaper, have you noticed in a report of

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Fire--

Continued from page 1

into different schools of thought.
Some held that the lumber yard
was going up in smoke. Others
were positive that it was the
Monroe hotel.

And all this time, during the
intense excitement, the male half
of the campus was enjoying
the fire within scorching distance.

After much delay and suspense.
the city telephone operator, who
was consulted about the location
of the blaze, confided to the
college operator that the fire
was "somewhere across the
tracks.”

Yawning and cussing in s lady~
like fashion the Quadites returned
to the unexciting task of putting
up their hair

Anyway, the future grandpas
had a good time.

To PRESENT REClTAL
Jean Bates, soprano, and Paul
Morrison, tenor, will present a.
junior recital at Herrick chapel,
at 4:30 Friday afternoon.

See:

SHARE

I
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GRINNELL SCARLET AND BLACK

a presidential press conference, the words,
"The president refused to comment on this
question” '2

The influence of government officials ill
keeping infolmation from the public was
well illustrated last week when the press
was asked by Secretary of the Navy Frank
Knox not to report the presence of the Brit,
isll warship Malaya, which had put into New
York harbor for repairs, alld was seen by
thousands of New Yorkers,

That the government is attempting to uni,
fy American public opinion is common
knowledge. It has been frankly stated that
various war measures will be taken as soon
as public opinion is at a point where they
can be put into effect without too much
opposition.

The Des Moincs Register on Friday, April
18, published the following headline:

Fears U. S. Aid May Be Too Latei

Gillette Proposes ‘Halfway Convoys’

Public Opinion
Is Seen Ready
Would Protect Ships
To Mid Ocean

The control of newspaper policy exercised
by large financial and advertising interests
is easily understood. Because the press it-
self is big business, and relies upon this im-
portant source of revenue, it is a constant
problem that plagues editors.

Freedom of the press has been termed a
failure by a number of critics precisely be
cause of these factors. It is illdeed an al-
most laughable fiasco in many respects.

The following statements by Herbert
Agar, managing editor of the Louisville
Courier-Journal, presented in a lecture at
the Univ 'slty of Chicago a few weeks ago
are significant:

“I aln not suggesting that the newspapers
should become highbrow, but simply that in
addition to the sports page, the women’s
page, the comics, which they can still do
well, there is a better reason why the press
should be free, and that reason is that it
must give the public something more than
what the public wants. The only justifica-
tion for the rights of the press is that the
press treat its commodity as a definite
trust, giving to the public the truth which
makes men free, even if the public doesn’t
wallt ’ . . If the press is going to doctor
the truth, to suit its owll pleasures, or to
conform to the public taste, it is betraying
American duty.”

It cannot be argued that the American
press is not more free than any foreign
press. But the American newspaper has
failed in a number of respects to justify its
freedom, its function of adult education, its
duty to the public, As long as officials and
other men of responsibility withhold infor-
mation from the newspapers; as long as
ally of the above listed factors are in prao
tice, free speech is not an undisputed pos‘
session of the American press.

THE PROFIT522

Operated by Student Organizations

CONCESSIONS

Will Pay Dividends At The

VARSITY CLUB CARNIVAL

BETTY CRABB
JANE YOUNG FOR DETAILS

_._o__

THE PROFIT822

Council Looks

Into Varsilies

Tentative Plan Calls
For Fewer Dances;
More Participation

Because the present Grmnell so-
cial schup has appealed only toa
small section of the student body,
re—organization of the basic sysr
(cm 15 being attempted by an in—
vcstlgating group formed last
uioht by the central committee
of the student council.

Under the tentative plall.' di-
VelSlfled activities, including all~
college picnics, sleigh parties, hay
rides, skating, and theater pint
tics, would be alternated with the
schedule of dances. Number of
val-sltics a semester would proh-
ably be reduced to six, the com-
mittee report stated.

“What we want in this college
is a student body completely on
the ‘inside’ of a social program,”
said Kenet Pearce, committee-
man. “Today, too many people
are on the outside, just looking
inl”

During the last semester, the
report continued, the college cal-
endar contained 17 weekends. For
these weekends. 17 dances were
scheduled. besides regular Friday
night open hcuses. Varsity club
statistics show that a. maximum
of 30 per cent of the student
body attended dancing functions.

“The present status of [be Var-
sity club shows that dancing is
not the primary social interest of
Grinnell students," Jim Miles,
club presid‘ent and committee
member, said. “Yet our social

WEDNESDAY,

APRIL 23, 1941

program has been aimed almost
completely at dancing.”

Research of the council has
included surveys of the ,|social

plans of other American colleges,
.nclucling Carleton and the Uni~
varsity of New Mexico Jane,
Goplerud and Margery Vincent
are committee members assisting
Miles and Pearce.

Time for

SPORT TOGS

fol men
° Sport Sets
' Sport Shirts

' Sleeveless
Sweatels

. Moccasins

s
i

i

E fol girls

5 Slack Suits

Sh t

g Ba‘dinsintou Suits
§—————— Casual Shoes
i

i

SPRING SPECIAL
IN DI AN DESIGN

BLANKETS

$1. 00

l- ohm/Iv m; 311v».

 

 

Alter "lab. . ..

pause and

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