U.S. NEWSCAST IDEA ASSAILED

There's an interesting news article, that Google Newspapers has cached:

U.S. NEWSCAST IDEA ASSAILED

NEW YORK, Jan. 14. (AP) - Announcement was made today that the board of directors of the Associated Press at a recent meeting held "that government can not engage in newscasting without creating the fear of propaganda which necessarily would reflect upon the objectivity of the news services from which such newscasts are prepared." The text:

"The Associated Press stands committed to the principle of freedom of access to the news and to the free flow of news throughtout the world.

It holds that news thus disseminated by nongovernmental news agencies is essential to the highest development of mankind and to the perpetuation of peace between nations. It recognized the possibility of useful purpose served by governments in the maintenance throughout the world of official libraries of information. It applauds the vigorous manner in which the present national administration has advanced in the doctrine of press freedom. It holds however that government can not engage in newscasting without creating the fear of propaganda which necessarily would reflect upon the objectivity of the news services from which such newscasts are prepared."

First, this is an announcement(press release), so it shouldn't be in copyright. That and the whole article amounts to three whopping paragraphs. Articles that small I see get copied all the time, as long as proper ownership is recognized. This was published in The Spokesman-Review, January 15, 1946.

Those who read this should hold a healthy skepticism as they do. It is not a coincidence that both Woodrow Wilson's CPI as well as FDR's OWI employed journalists in their daily propaganda operations. That's not an accident. This press release is AP's way of pushing back against government. Here's what they are saying:

"Propaganda is our turf. Government, back off."

AP is clearly saying that if government is involved with the news, objectivity across the board would disappear. Problem is, objectivity was gone long beforehand when journalists decided that the government was their friend. Around this time period, the Smith-Mundt act of 1948 would be passed.(over the earlier 1946 Bloom Bill, see this for a general overview) Interestingly enough, a few decades later the journalists had already forgotten. NPR as well as PBS were introduced in the 70's.

All of this is important, as the Federal Government gets ready to introduce even more propaganda outlets into the mainstream.