When in September the British Government decided that the distribution of British news needed to be somewhat enlarged, they id the only thing possible, and. approached Reuters with a request that they should increase their normal service of news to for~ eign countries by some 2,000 words a day, equivalent when expanded to "about three columns of this journal. Naturally this service had to be paid for, and in the Supplementary Civil Estimates issued on Feb= Fuary 23 details of the grant of £6,000 to Reuters appeared as follows "Provision is made for the payment Reuters news agency of expenses' incurred In increasing. their daily output of news to foreign countries since September, 1838, the request of His. Majesty's Government.
The expense mainly consist of the cost of transmission of additional words by Post Omice wireless telegraph stations"
The matter had been before the House of Commons in a. somewhat different form on February 15, when the following motion was discussed and adopted "That in the light of the considerable activity: of various foreign governments in tne fled' of propaganda by means ofthe Press, broadcasting and. filmo, this Howse urges the Government to pay more attention to public fiy"and to. render wholehearted, morn! and financial support to schemes which will make certain of the effective. presentation of Brit: ith mews abroad"
In the course of the debate Mr. Samuel Storey (Sunderland U.) who, according to the "Newspaper World," is a director of Reuters pointed out that for three quarters of a century that company had been mainly' responsible for the distribution of world/ news with an independence, accuracy and integrity which had ensured its ready ceptance. "British prestige, he said, had been maintained, and a. better knowledge, and understanding of British aims had been fostered. He suggested that the Government should make use of the company's world-wide organization, but upon the one essential condition that its independence! should be strictly maintained, and that, while the Government should assist in meet~ ing the cost of the distribution of the news service, its collection and selection should subject to no interference whatever.
The debate upon the Supplementary Civil Estimates makes it quite clear that the sum of £6,000 is to be paid for services which Reuters were requested to render the Government. It would be only. natural that even if it was mot desired to make any profit out of the transaction, and the small~ hess of the grant clearly demonstrates that if any were made at all it must have been microscopic, the news agency was at least entitled to expect that it would be reimbbursed for any additional expense which acquiescence with the Government's request would involve. That should remove any doubt whatever as to whether this payment is in the nature of a subsidy. It most clearly is not, and on the face of it merely amounts to the reimbursement of the expense incurred in meeting the Government's Fequirements.. In this connection it may be pointed out that newspapers in the Far East as in other parts of the world have bene-{ited by this. increase in the dimensions of Routers service and the "very" extensive coverage of the various crises which have occurred since September last is very largely to the increased wordage provided. for by this arrangement. It is also\a matter of experience that the quality. of the service has in no way been altered, and the additional foreign and British news. thus made available has shown no indications of any departure from the traditionally" impartial standards to which Reuters have consistently adhered. 'It has not assumed anything in the nature of propagandist complexion, for the news has been. distributed in a manner best calculated to give readers as fair and accurate an' idea" of what has been transpiring as is humanly Possible. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said of some of the other foreign highly subsidized news agencies, whose output refires at all times the closest scrutiny by] editors through whose hands it passes.
It was inevitable that competitors of Reuters should seize upon this grant to raise the old. ery about subsidization. As Mr. Noel Baker rightly remarks the sum involved is trifling compared with the agency's annual turnover, and is certainly not large enough suggest that it would. have any important bearing upon the policy of the undertaking. What is of even greater importance as an effective answer to erities.is the fact of this grant being so openly discussed in the House of Commons. That is in. itself the best possible proof of the bona fides of both the Government and Reuters in the matter, for if the whole transaction had not been completely above board, the secret financing of it would not have passed the wit of the! Government to devise. What is of the! greatest importance is the statement by Mr.
A. Butler, Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to the effect that there was'
desire on the part of the Government to limit the freedom of Reuters in the compilation of their news service. It may be, stated quite definitely that the value of Reuters service to the press of the world would be sadly diminished if it were ever shown that any outside interference had ever been permitted, or that the Govern ment in any way influenced the editing of the news service. The reason why other foreign subsidized news agencies have failed to attain the reputation which is Reuters is the fact that they are very patiently prostituted to the propaganda requirements of the Governments financing them. There are agencies offering news services. wholly unjustified by the smallness of the fees which they charge. They distribute news, {is true, but for the most part generally Diassed by the politics of the Governments behind them. That is not the case with Reuters. It merely deals in news og any other merchant would deal in his own particular speciality, and as long as that: independent and impartial attitude is maintained the payment by the Government of small sums such as the £6,000 asked for can have no effect upon the general standing of the service.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.