Warning Of Growing Urge To Strangulation

Chronicle (Levin), 21 April 1948, Page 5

Warning Of Growing Urge To Strangulation

rN'.Z'P.A..

—Reuter-.

Comvriahb)

Received Tuesday, i. p.m^ - * .NEW X OK-K) April A warning agamst the *•' 1n1e0.111 Koliabie urge 'oi governmen-ts to get their Liaiicls 011 the news^" was giveii t«.day by the general manogei' oi' Reuter 's, Mr. Cliristopher w'lianeeiior, when addressing the •entenary annu'al meeting oi the Assoeiated Press of Ameriea. " iuvery where X see barriers goiug up and not eoming down, Every-u-hei-e l' see goveiTiments meving in on the news. I see little sign oi a growth. 111 the understanding of the pit'i.neiples ior which we stand," he said.. Mr. Chaneell'Or emphasised that Reuters w-dh dedicated to. the, principle oi truth in the news and was owned by the iree newspapers in the United Kingdom, ireland, Aostralia and Xew Zealand working in cl'ose association ior a com: rnon purpose. aWe owe a great wlebt to the example and leadersliip oi the Assoeiated - Press in achieving this posi-tiom for Reuters. " The proceedings of the Freedom of . Iniormation Conferenee ■ at (deneva e.ould be viewed oiily with alarrn and appreheusioiv he added. ' ' We see niany natio-ns; payuig I'ip seij-ice to our' coueeption oi freedom of news.. Wesee their representafives. stating prineiples. vvithout believing in them or uuderstaudiug them. We wateh them tiiauoeuvering. for pe&itioin .obb.yiug., bartering words and tradiug ideas. This may becoime vvorse than a I'aree — it may beeome tragedy. " Mr. Chancellor said he was snrprised and horrihed at the numb.er oi' tVestern European statesmen who lielieved news services shordd be direetlyar indireetly a government funetion instead oi" tlie iunetion oi a iree, independent newspaper press. The possibifitv oi English newspapers having to reduce ifom foiiut'O' two pages daily beeaiifse of laek oi nevvsprint, eould not be -diseounted, said Lord Rothermere. The task oi ireely disseminating news eould not be 1'iilfiUed in' sueh eh-euiMstanees. He said: " Igiioraii.ee breeds isolationisut 'aml . isplationism breeds neutrality. Hook ea.stivards aeross tlie Atlantie and you will see l'urming 011 llie horizon a eloud of wisliful neutrality, today 110 big-ger than a man's hand perhaps, hui eapable tomorrow oi assuming menaeing prop.ortions. A serious niovement for western neutrality, partienlarly Hritish neutrality, eould underuiine the whole coueeption oi American strcngth and swiitly imperil the prosent safety oi v our precat'ious peaee and ireedom." It was the first timo iu the history oi ihe Assoeiated Press that an Englisliman had been the prineijpal sjieaker at the anhual meeting.