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The original documents are located in Box D13, folder "University Press Club of Michigan,
November 11, 1949" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at
the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D13 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
UNIVERSITY PRESS CLUB OF MICHIGAN
Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
Friday, November 11, 1949
THE FOURTH ESTATE IN MODERN POLITICS
Mr. Hoyhow, honored guests, and members of the University
Press Club, I feel highly honored for the opportunity to speak at
this luncheon during the thirty-second annual meeting of the
University Press Club of Michigan.
Recently I read several lines of imaginary dialogue which
seem most apropos. They go as follows:
"Man said to the Universe, 'Sir, I exist.'
"The Universe replied, 'That fact has not created within
me a sense of obligation.
This imaginary dialogue between man and the universe very
nearly sums up the dilemma in which we find ourselves today.
Yes, our civilization does exist but we, as a part of that
civilization, would be foolhardy to assume that our way of life
- 1 -
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
will continue to exist unless we solve the multitudinous problems
that confront us and those problems are more than a little
staggering from whatever appraisal we make.
Those who are concerned and who do think of the possible
consequences and who are capable of acting, have the greatest
responsibility since Noah at the time of the great flood. Noah
faced a world about to be engulfed by water--we face an equally
terrifying phenomena, a world about to be engulfed by atomic disaster.
It is perfectly obvious to everyone except the most
impractical of dreamers that there is no simple solution to the
challenges of our generation. The myriad of problems calls for
steady nerves, cool heads, unrelenting courage and above all else
an awareness of the TRUTH in its purest meaning. We need the
unvarnished, the undiluted truth of the facts as they exist. The
truth of reality is a prime requisite in the dynamic days ahead.
There is no room for premeditated or careless inaccuracies,
- 2 -
GERALD FORD LIBRART
nor should we foster or condone charlatanism. There's no room
for bare-faced sensationalism or P. T. Barnum pettifogging. With
each step we take in the era ahead we must be aware that we march
with the appalling knowledge that misrepresentation of the truth
means likely disaster. Our course must be guided by and tied to
the truth. If we have the facts our day-to-day course will be
unerring. If we do have the facts we can depend on the judgment
of our citizens.
On whom does the burden rest most heavily for the guidance
of humanity in this crucial hour? On the college professor or the
education profession generally? The research expert? Is this a
task for the clergy? Yes, a part of this burden unquestionably
rests with our academic and spiritual leaders. But, they cannot
carry the burden alone. Frankly, the strength of the forces at
work is too great for even the best-intentioned educators and
clergymen.
- 3 -
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
Next, shall we say that the politician will give us the
requisite help. I would like to think that young men like myself
with the aid of mellower leaders would be the answer to our problem
but it is a fact, not necessarily derogatory either, that the
politician, no matter how forthright his motives, is to some degree
the weather vane of public opinion.
It is our job to do what the majority thinks fitting
and proper. We would be usurping the representative posts to which
we were elected if we made our own judgments decisive in complete
disregard of our constituents' wishes. Under our form of government
we are bound by the expressed will of the people, the real question,
what will the "will of the people" be?
Thus, in the final analysis we inevitably come to the
conclusion that the gravest responsibility rests with the day-to-day
makers of public opinion and in this category I put the owners,
who
editors, and reporters who by subtle indirection or by straight-
- 4 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
forward news reporting make the news which in turn makes public
opinion.
Gentlemen, you and your associates are the real key to the
dilemma of modern politics. In the exercise of your daily business,
not necessarily in the wooks preceding an election, you determine to a
large extent the course of things to come--be it war, peace,
fascism, democracy. You are the hub of the big wheel that takes
us toward our destiny. In all sincerity I am flattered to have
this opportunity to discuss these matters with you. "The Fourth
Estate in Modern Politics." Gentlemen, you are politics.
Perhaps some in the audience may question this statement.
Is it really true? Those here who write daily editorials
undoubtedly in the past on some occasions, have dispaired at public
indifference to your expressions of scholarly opinion. It can be
shown, and is admitted by most, that the last presidential
campaign was won despite the editorial policies of most newspapers.
- 5 -
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
Perhaps our voters were misled by certain forces but the real question
is yet unanswered: What produced this totally unexpected result?
Thousands of words have been written and spoken on the
subject but most of the attempted explanations fail to analyze the
real reason for the election of Mr. Truman. In my estimation the
answer is not as paradoxical as one might think. The best answer
is a true understanding of the medium in which you gentlemen work
every day.
It is unfortunate but true that editorials are not as
influential as they should be. A recent personal experience has
rather conclusively proved the point to me that a well-written
editorial fails to catch the eye of the general public, whereas
a news story on the first page strikes home.
Early in this past session of the 81st Congress I voted
for a new immigration bill that had the full support of the
authorities in the field, including the State Department and the
- 6 -
FRALE 8080
Immigration and Naturalization Service. Representative Walter Judd,
one of the foremost Far Eastern authorities, had initially fostered
this proposal which aimed at eliminating racial discrimination in
our quota system and truly equalizing quotas for all peoples. The
bill incidentally increased the Japanese quota from 100 to 185
annually.
Within the past month a candidate in the Democratic
Congressional primary in September, 1948 has been distributing
printed match folders throughout the Fifth district informing the
citizens that I voted to increase Japanese immigration by 85%.
One of the Grand Rapids newspapers contacted me and wanted the full
story. I gave them the facts and a front page story appeared with
a good picture of Representative Judd, who happened to be in Grand
Rapids to speak before the Michigan Educational Association. The
following day the paper carried an excellent editorial on the same
question.
- 7 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
Within the past several weeks a number of citizens
have written commenting on the deceptive literature being
distributed by this particular individual and in most instances the
writers have enclosed a copy of the front page news story, not the
editorial, despite the fact that the editorial, in reality, gave
the true facts more lucidly.
This experience is the best evidence that a news story
can directly affect public opinion. In the aforementioned
illustration both the editorial and the news item related the
identical facts without deviation, but if one had been different
from the other, the news story would have been controlling to a
large degree.
The true barometer of public opinion is news, daily news,
"slant 7 givin The news
its tone, its color. The insinuations that may be commonplace
are most influential.
From time to time I have been thoroughly amused by the
inconsistencies that exist between the facts as stated on the
- 8 -
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
editorial pages and the overtones implied on the same paper within
news columns or simple headlines as they are written by the
reporters down the line. An example might be an editorial entitled
"Profits Make Progress" while in the same issue these headlines
might counteract the effect of the editorial. These headlines
are as follows: "General Motors Shows Greatest Income in History,"
and "Housing Conditions in City Revealed to be Barbaric. 11
These inconsistencies, although completely fortuitious,
nevertheless seem to make a partial mockery of the seriously thought-
out editorial, which is supposed to guide readers to a better under-
standing of a certain way of life or a political issue. These
contrasts collide with each other head-on like two express freights
on the same rails. Regardless of the merits of the particular
ideological viewpoint of either the editorial or the news column,
the fact is that they clash glaringly.
The public, more strongly inclined to believe that which
- 9 -
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
is presented as news, if we can believe what took place in November,
1948, comes to a conclusion just the reverse of what the editorial
sought to explain with careful precision. The editor has per-
mitted himself to be sabotaged or circumvented, either directly or
by mere chance, by his own copy boy, SO to speak. The editor's
thoughtful consideration may as well have been spent in more
enjoyable pursuits.
I thoroughly appreciate that there is an almost sacred
tradition in the newspaper business from the top to the bottom
that "news is news" and that it must not be tampered with for the
sake of any personal or political point of view. To this long-
standing doctrine I heartily subscribe and certainly I hope that
it will never be otherwise.
The deviations or the inconsistencies that seem to arise do
not come from editorial quarters, nor from bosses who sit up
nights plotting to maintain a certain point of view. It has been
- 10 -
FRALD
my observation that more frequently the situation arises from the
ardent headline writer who inadvertantly or otherwise may slant
his story. How many times have you gentlemen had this happen in your
own experiences?
I recently experienced a case that may be in point.
Several weeks ago, shortly after returning to the district from
the first session of the 81st Congress, I was contacted concerning
the recent coal strike. It was vividly brought to my attention
that there was a serious coal shortage for home consumption in our
part of Michigan. After an appraisal of the situation in detail
I telegraphed President Truman, telling him of the factual situation
do all he could for to hasten a peaceful
and urging that he do what he could for the benefit of all concerned. settlene
The headline that night read "Ford Urges Truman Act, Sends President
Plea to end coal Strike.' "
No one can avoid the conclusion from this headline that
my sympathies were in no way tolerant to the coal miners side of
- 11 -
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
Surely
the argument
It would appear from this headline that I have no
sympathy with some of the requests of the coal miners in their
long struggle for equitable pay and working conditions. I would
guess that the public felt that Ford wanted the coal strike ended
with punitive measures against the men in the pits.
This kind of indirect editorializing or fact making has
become more and more frequent as newspapers have increased in size
and administrative complexity. Is the answer better generalship
by the owners and managers, or is it a greater realization on the
part of the newsmen that their part in the day-to-day operation of
the paper is of vital importance. I appreciate that authority
must be delegated to the men in the news room and the men in the
news field should rightfully assume the responsibility so delegated.
However, in the production line of news coverage and reporting, on
many occasions there may originate a personal point of viewor slanting.
The individual touch may originate on the spot where the news is
- 13 -
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
recorded, it may come in the communication of the story through
the wire services, or it may get the slant with the headline writer
who puts on the final touch at the last moment.
This process of news shading is often the direct result
of employes' personal philosophy of government. At a time when
extremely
we need the truth and the facts ) it may be dangerous to have a
n
disguised point of view set forth as pure news.
Can we say it is likewise dangerous to have a slant to
our editorials? No, because to a greater degree the public knows
the political leanings of the newspaper management. With that
previous knowledge and information the reading public can
properly balance the pros and cons, and no subtle harm is
accomplished.
The popular thing nowadays on the editorial page is to
have the local editorial column plus several syndicated columns
by outside experts and analysts with widely divergent points of
- 13 -
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
We are all cognegant of the
trends in some quarters to rely
on sensationalism to boot ancutation.
20 that good sense or can we
say "For a dollar gained a
world is lost".
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
view on political matters. Such a policy is sound and in the best
American newspaper tradition of fair play to all concerned. The
reading of such slanted columns in fact is desirable as as
long
an equitable distribution of doses is applied.
a
In conclusion let me reiterate the need and necessity
for the Fourth Estate in Modern Politics, but let me also emphasize
the urgency for the exposure of the truth in the news by the Fourth
Estate. The day-to-day craftsmanship in putting a newspaper
together must be maintained at the highest possible level or the
consequences to us all may well be disastrous. I am confident
that if our news is untarnished, if we get the truth, the good
judgment of the people will not be in error. The Fourth Estate
inthrige
has that solemn responsibility of real accuracy in modern politics.
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
UNIVERSITY PRESS CLUB OF MICHIGAN
Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
Friday, November 11, 1949
THE FOURTH ESTATE IN MODERN POLITICS
Mr. Hoyhow, honored guests, and members of the University
Press Club, I feel highly honored for the opportunity to speak at
this luncheon during the thirty-second annual meeting of the
University Press Club of Michigan.
Recently I read several lines of imaginary dialogue which
seem most apropos. They go as follows:
"Man said to the Universe, 'Sir, I exist.'
"The Universe replied, "That fact has not created within
me a sense of obligation."
This imaginary dialogue between man and the universe very
nearly sums up the dilemma in which we find ourselves today.
Yes, our civilization does exist but we, as a part of that
civilisation, would be foolhardy to assume that our way of life
- 1 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
will continue to exist unless we solve the multitudinous problems
that confront us and those problems are more than a little
staggering from whatever appraisal we make.
Those who are concerned and who do think of the possible
consequences and who are capable of acting, have the greatest
responsibility since Noah at the time of the great flood. Noah
faced a world about to be engulfed by water--we face an equally
terrifying phenomena, 8 world about to be engulfed by atomic disaster.
It is perfectly obvious to everyone except the most
impractical of dreamers that there is no simple solution to the
challenges of our generation. The myriad of problems calls for
steady nerves, cool heads, unrelenting courage and above all else
an awareness of the TRUTH in its purest meaning. We need the
unvarnished, the undiluted truth of the facts as they exist. The
truth of reality is a prime requisite in the dynamic days ahead.
There is no room for premeditated or careless inaccuracies,
- 2 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
nor should we foster or condone charlatanism. There's no room
for bare-faced sensationalism or P. T. Barnum pettifogging. With
each step we take in the era ahead we must be aware that we march
with the appalling knowledge that misrepresentation of the truth
means likely disaster. Our course must be guided by and tied to
the truth. If we have the facts our day-to-day course will be
unerring. If we do have the facts we can depend on the judgment
of our citizens.
On whom does the burden rest most heavily for the guidance
of humanity in this crucial hour? On the college professor or the
education profession generally? The research expert? Is this a
task for the clergy? Yes, a part of this burden unquestionably
rests with our academic and spiritual leaders. But, they cannot
carry the burden alone. Frankly, the strength of the forces at
work is too great for even the best-intentioned educators and
clergymen.
- 3 -
FORD & LIBRARY GERALD
Next, shall we say that the politician will give us the
requisite help. I would like to think that young men like myself
with the aid of mellower leaders would be the answer to our problem
but it is a fact, not necessarily derogatory either, that the
politician, no matter how forthright his motives, is to some degree
the weather vane of public opinion.
It is our job to do what the majority thinks fitting
and proper. We would be usurping the representative posts to which
we were elected if we made our own judgments decisive in complete
disregard of our constituents' wishes. Under our form of government
we are bound by the expressed will of the people, the real question,
what will the "will of the people" be?
Thus, in the final analysis we inevitably come to the
conclusion that the gravest responsibility rests with the day-to-day
makers of public opinion and in this category I put the owners,
editors, and reporters who by subtle indirection or by straight-
- 4 -
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
forward news reporting make the news which in turn makes public
opinion.
Gentlemen, you and your associates are the real key to the
dilemma of modern politics. In the exercise of your daily business,
not necessarily in the weeks preceding an election, you determine to a
large extent the course of things to come-be it war, peace,
fascism, democracy. You are the hub of the big wheel that takes
us toward our destiny. In all sincerity I am flattered to have
this opportunity to discuss these matters with you. "The Fourth
Estate in Modern Politics." Gentlemen, you are politics.
Perhaps some in the audience may question this statement.
Is it really true? Those here who write daily editorials
undoubtedly in the past on some occasions, have dispaired at public
indifference to your expressions of scholarly opinion. It can be
shown, and is admitted by most, that the last presidential
campaign was won despite the editorial policies of most newspapers.
- 5 -
GERALD R.FORD LIBRARY
Perhaps our voters were misled by certain forces but the real question
is yet unanswered: What produced this totally unexpected result?
Thousands of words have been written and spoken on the
subject but most of the attempted explanations fail to analyze the
real reason for the election of Mr. Truman. In my estimation the
answer is not as paradoxical as one might think. The best answer
is a true understanding of the medium in which you gentlemen work
every day.
It is unfortunate but true that editorials are not as
influential as they should be. A recent personal experience has
rather conclusively proved the point to me that a well-written
editorial fails to catch the eye of the general public, whereas
a news story on the first page strikes home.
Early in this past session of the 81st Congress I voted
for a new immigration bill that had the full support of the
authorities in the field, including the State Department and the
- 6 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
Immigration and Naturalization Service. Representative Walter Judd,
one of the foremost Far Eastern authorities, had initially fostered
this proposal which aimed at eliminating racial discrimination in
our quota system and truly equalizing quotas for all peoples. The
bill incidentally increased the Japanese quota from 100 to 185
annually.
Within the past month a candidate in the Democratic
Congressional primary in September, 1948 has been distributing
printed match folders throughout the Fifth district informing the
citizens that I voted to increase Japanese immigration by 85%
One of the Grand Rapids newspapers contacted me and wanted the full
story
I gave them the facts and a front page story appeared with
a good picture of Representative Judd, who happened to be in Grand
Rapids to speak before the Michigan Educational Association. The
following day the paper carried an excellent editorial on the same
question.
- 7 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
Within the past several weeks a number of citizens
have written commenting on the deceptive literature being
distributed by this particular individual and in most instances the
writers have enclosed a copy of the front page news story, not the
editorial, despite the fact that the editorial, in reality, gave
the true facts more lucidly.
This experience is the best evidence that a news story
can directly affect public opinion. In the aforementioned
illustration both the editorial and the news item related the
identical facts without deviation, but if one had been different
from the other, the news story would have been controlling to a
large degree.
The true barometer of public opinion is news, daily news,
its tone, its color. The insinuations that may be commonplace
are most influential.
From time to time I have been thoroughly amused by the
inconsistencies that exist between the facts as stated on the
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
- 8 -
editorial pages and the overtones implied on the same paper within
news columns or simple headlines as they are written by the
reporters down the line. An example might be an editorial entitled
"Profits Make Progress" while in the same issue these headlines
might counteract the effect of the editorial. These headlines
are as follows: "General Motors Shows Greatest Income in History,"
and "Housing Conditions in City Revealed to be Barbaric."
These inconsistencies, although completely fortuitious,
nevertheless seen to make a partial mockery of the seriously thought-
out editorial, which is supposed to guide readers to a better under-
standing of a certain way of life or a political issue. These
contrasts collide with each other head-on like two express freights
on the same rails. Regardless of the merits of the particular
ideological viewpoint of either the editorial or the news column,
the fact is that they clash glaringly.
The public, more strongly inclined to believe that which
- 9 -
FORD 2 LIBRARY GERALD
is presented as news, if we can believe what took place in November,
1948, comes to a conclusion just the reverse of what the editorial
sought to explain with careful precision. The editor has per-
mitted himself to be sabotaged or circumvented, either directly or
by mere chance, by his own copy boy, so to speck. The editor's
thoughtful consideration may as well have been spent in more
enjoyable pursuits.
I thoroughly appreciate that there is an almost sacred
tradition in the newspaper business from the top to the bottom
that "news is news" and that it must not be tampered with for the
sake of any personal or political point of view. To this long-
standing doctrine I heartily subscribe and certainly I hope that
it will never be otherwise.
The deviations or the inconsistencies that seem to arise do
not come from editorial quarters, nor from bosses who sit up
nights plotting to maintain a certain point of view. It has been
- 10 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
my observation that more frequently the situation arises from the
ardent headline writer who inadvertantly or otherwise may slant
his story. How many times have you gentlemen had this happen in your
own experiences?
I recently experienced a case that may. be in point.
Several weeks ago, shortly after returning to the district from
the first session of the 81st Congress, I was contacted concerning
the recent coal strike. It was vividly brought to my attention
that there was a serious coal shortage for home consumption in our
part of Michigan. After an appraisal of the situation in detail
I telegraphed President Truman, telling him of the factual situation
and urging that he do what he could for the benefit of all concerned.
The headline that night read "Ford Urges Truman Act, Sends President
Plea to end coal Strike."
No one can avoid the conclusion from this headline that
my sympathies were in no way tolerant to the coal miners' side of
- 11 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
the argument. It would appear from this headline that I have no
sympathy with some of the requests of the coal miners in their
long struggle for equitable pay and working conditions. I would
guess that the public felt that Ford wanted the coal strike ended
with punitive measures against the men in the pits.
This kind of indirect editorializing or fact making has
become more and more frequent as newspapers have increased in size
and administrative complexity. Is the answer better generalship
by the owners and managers, or is it a greater realization on the
part of the newsmen that their part in the day-to-day operation of
the paper is of vital importance. I appreciate that authority
must be delegated to the men in the news room and the men in the
news field should rightfully assume the responsibility so delegated.
However, in the production line of news coverage and reporting, on
many occasions there may originate a personal point of viewor slanting.
The individual touch may originate on the spot where the news is
- 13 -
FORD i LIBRARY GERALD
recorded, it may come in the communication of the story through
the wire services, or it may get the slant with the headline writer
who puts on the final touch at the last moment.
This process of news shading is often the direct result
of employes' personal philosophy of government. At a time when
we need the truth and the facts it may be dangerous to have a
disguised point of view set forth as pure news.
Can we say 1t is likewise dangerous to have a slant to
our editorials? No, because to a greater degree the public knows
the political leanings of the newspaper management. With that
previous knowledge and information the reading public can
properly balance the pros and cons, and no subtle harm is
accomplished.
The popular thing nowadays on the editorial page is to
have the local editorial column plus several syndicated columns
by outside experts and analysts with widely divergent points of
- 13 -
GERALD FORD LIBRARY
view on political matters. Such a policy is sound and in the best
American newspaper tradition of fair play to all concerned. The
reading of such slanted columns in fact is desirable as long as
an equitable distribution of doses is applied.
In conclusion let me reiterate the need and necessity
for the Fourth Estate in Modern Politics, but let me also emphasize
the urgency for the exposure of the truth in the news by the Fourth
Estate. The day-to-day craftsmanship in putting a newspaper
together must be maintained at the highest possible level or the
consequences to us all may well be disastrous. I am confident
that if our news is untarnished, if we get the truth, the good
judgment of the people will not be in error. The Fourth Estate
has that solemn responsibility of real accuracy in modern politics.
RALO GERALD, FORD