Sooner State Press (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 41, No. 27, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 2, 1949 Page: 3 of 4
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SOONER STATE PRESS
PAGE THREE
MacDougall Charges Press
Fails to Assist Democracy
The American press is faijing to help
democracy work Dr Curtis D Mac-
Dougall professor of journalism at
Northwestern university charged in an
address March 23 to the University of
Oklahoma Matrix Table banquet
Scare coverage on the part of the
press has been a sizable contributing
factor to the national hysteria of the
last few years Dr MacDougall told
the audience of more than 300
To hold the press entirely respons-
ible would be scapegoating he said but
its role actually has been considerable
Newspapers have taken a big part in
blowing up unfounded red scares and
spy hunts Dr MacDougall charged
Accusations by the un-American activi-
ties committee for example received
sensational banner play but when such
charges were disproved the story rated
only inside space if any at all
He cited as instances the Oak
Ridge atomic spy scare and the ac-
quittal of William W Remington
commerce department employee of
accusations hurled by Elizabeth Bent-
ley “The public is kept in an almost con-
stant state of fright” he asserted “By
the time each case blows up or fizzles
out the current one is occupying so
much journalistic time and attention
that there’s little energy left to chron-
icle what happened to its predecessor
“A contrary policy of calmness and
an avidity for expose of much of the
nonsense or of equal space for stories
of exoneration of those accused would
be a tremendous help in restoring sanity
at a time when levelheadedness is need-
ed as never before” Dr MacDougall
suggested
“Likewise it would be in keeping with
the democratic idea that everyone ac-
cused of crime shall have a fair trial and
not be adjudged guilty before his full
day in court”
He quoted with approval an ad-
dress by Jenkin Lloyd Jones Tulsa
Tribune before the Iowa Daily Press
association Jones pointed out that
wire services are slanted toward the
needs of large city papers which stress
anything that will make a banner
headline to help sell a copy to side-
walk customers
This type of reporting accurate and
interesting as far as it goes often is
fragmentary and misleading to the read-
er Jones noted
The question is not whether freedom
of the press exists in the US since it
certainly does Dr MacDougall said
The real issue is whether the use to
which it is being put is satisfactory to
democracy
The future of democracy in the world
is in jeopardy he warned “Freedom of
speech freedom of religion freedom
from want freedom from fear: the
masses of mankind are going to obtain
them
"If those masses become convinced
that the political and economic systems
under which they live hinder rather
than assist them in their quest they
will experiment with alternatives —
isms”
These masses he said do not under-
stand Marxism anda are not interested
in it but when as in China they find
the old order unbearably corrupt they
join the only available movement that
promises change
“The only certain way to safeguard
ourselves from any kind of totalita-
rianism is to make both our democ-
racy and our capitalism work” Dr
MacDougall maintained “That means
that the press should be in the van-
guard supporting progressive social
legislation
“Actually the press does almost the
exact opposite The American people
in election after election repudiates this
conservatism but the publishers adam-
antly refuse to get in tune with the
times They just can’t see their own
best interests lie in championing the
cause of the common man the little
fellows who are the backbone of Ameri-
can life”
Solution of the problems of a better
living standard and security can’t be
postponed much longer Dr MacDoug-
all said In the present world situation
a US depression would mean a terrific
crisis
He praised the Denver (Colo) Post
for adopting a semiweekly column by
Norman Thomas Socialist party leader
as a regular feature
Other papers would do well to fol-
low this example and provide outlets
for the expression of opinion contrary
to that of the management he said
As a Christian nation the US should
realize that problems of mankind cannot
be solved in an atmosphere of hate Dr
MacDougall stated “There is plenty of
basis for honest disagreement with our
foreign policy and in the past no one
has been considered a traitor for ex-
pressing honest criticism”
Harold Young Enters
Plea of No Defence
To Mail Fraud Charge
Harold D Young Oklahoma City
pleaded no defense to a charge of mail
fraud on newspaper publishers in Okla-
homa and several other states The case
was brought before the federal district
court of Judge Edgar S Vaught
Young will be sentenced April 11 He
was arrested in December and charged
with having represented himself as
Chester Klock Denver Colo cartoon-
ist Postal inspectors accused that
Young did not fulfill contracts to de-
liver 52 cartoons yearly to merchants
buying the scries
At a hearing January 17 Dave Tant
defense attorney sought to have the
indictment quashed on the ground that
infringement of copyright docs not con-
stitute mail fraud even though the mails
are used
Garber Sentinel
Will Be Sold
At Public Auction
The Garber Sentinenl will be sold at
public auction April 11 on the steps of
the Enid courthouse Hugh Conway
referee has announced
“This is a complete newspaper plant
including linotype press etc Conway
announced in a legal advertisment “It
is being sold by order of the district
court of Garfield county Inspection of
the property may be made before sale
by contacting the undersigned referee”
Conway an Enid attorney was ap-
pointed referee for the Sentinel by Tom
R Blaine district judge after Paul Mc-
Bride formerly editor of the Enid
Events accepted a job in Washington
b c
“Publication of the paper will con-
tinue under direction of Conway until
the sale when the proceeds will be dis-
tributed to stockholders and creditors”
the Enid Events said
The Sentinel was placed under receiv-
ership last September as the climax of a
controversy over Garber school admin-
istration Several lawsuits were filed
after the paper then edited by Lois I
and Frank N Jones assailed school of-
ficials Frank N Jones now is operating the
Garber Free Press a weekly which he
founded after the Sentinel was placed
under receivership
James T Young Joins
Henryetta Free-Lance
James T Young has become news
editor of the Henryetta Daily Free-
Lance Leland Gourley editor and pub-
lisher has announced He fiills the posi-
tion vacated recently by Quinton S
Peters who resigned to join the edito-
rial staff of the Tulsa Daily World
For the past 10 months Young has
been news editor a of the Edinburg
(Tex) Valley Review He was grad-
uated from the University of Oklahoma
journalism school in 1948
While attending OU he was issue edi-
tor of the Oklahoma Daily student
newspaper and for a year was em-
ployed by the Cleveland County Times
Norman weekly
Originally a resident of Cushing he
was graduated from high school there
During the war he served in the armed
forces
0 H Coxen Bids in
Yellston News at Sale
a The Wellston News was sold at pub-
lic auction recently and was bid in by
O II Coxen For more than 36 years
Coxen operated the paper until failing
eyesight compelled his retirement a year
ago He is now a resident of California
Bernard Gerdes present editor of the
News said: “We shall continue to pub-
lish the paper until further action is
taken”
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Herbert, H. H. & Richardson, Truman. Sooner State Press (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 41, No. 27, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 2, 1949, newspaper, April 2, 1949; Norman, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1827358/m1/3/: accessed June 8, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.