ACCEPTABLE CONTRIBUTED MATTER AND UNWELCOME "PUBLICITY"
By E. B. ALDRICH
Editor East Oregonian, Pendleton
[A wisely moderate policy, keeping in mind at once the public interest and the rights of the newspaper, is here outlined in connection with the handling of contributed matter. Mr. Aldrich read this paper before the recent Oregon Newspaper Conference and was heard with keen interest.]
WITHOUT wasting time I will say the practice on the East Oregonian has been to throw contributed material away. Each day various and numerous letters of a propaganda nature are consigned to the waste basket without being read. On a small daily this seems to be the only course to pursue if one wishes to go to press promptly and have a proper amount of time for other important work such as fishing and golf.
However, we have no hard and fast rule upon the subject and do not look with disdain upon all contributed material. It is customary to open and read the press bulletins from the Oregon Agricultural College, the University of Oregon, the forest service and the department of agriculture. The department of agriculture frequently sends out material that is of value to an agricultural section, and we look its stories over seeking material that may be adaptable to our territory. The forest service publicity matter is well handled and we give particular notice to stories from that quarter that re late to the livestock industry
NEWS VALUE ESSENTIAL
In giving attention to the press bulletins from the agricultural college and the University we are moved partly by a desire to be generous in the matter of publicity relating to these institutions and by the further fact that the stories have news value. We find, though, that such stories often reach us too late to be acceptable. On March 12 this year the O. A. C. service carried a story relating to the J. T. Apperson will. The story had been broken in the Portland papers several' days before, and we rejected it in favor of live news not previously published. On the same day the University letter featured a fraternity story that had appeared two or three days previously in the Portland press. We did not use the story. We have little space for stories that have already been used. It should be possible for both colleges to adjust matters so that country dailies may have nearer a fair deal than they have been receiving. Perhaps this is not possible on good spontaneous stories, but much of the material is not of a spontaneous nature and could be properly handled under release dates. A more satisfactory arrangement would necessarily mean wider publicity.
ANONYMOUS ATTACKS BARRED
With reference; to local contributed material we have certain standards which we observe. We insist that a communication that is in its nature derogatory to another person, if usable at all, be signed by the author's real name. We do not allow anyone to attack another under cover of an assumed name. Anonymous communications are not used and usually are referred to the party under attack. During the religious controversy in Oregon we have had an improvised rule to the effect that parties on either side of the controversy may submit advertising, or when news interest justifies, a reasonable communication setting forth in an affirmative way the principles espoused but making no at tack upon the other side- We have endeavored to look with disinteredness upon religious quarrels and to treat each side fairly and courteously, which seems to be all that either side wants as far as
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