Opposition to the attempts of the Palestine government to get control of the news sources to and from Palestine continues to be voiced in the American-Jewish press. The latest comments on the cancellation of the concession granted the Palestine Telegraphic Agency by the Palestine government have come from the Portland (Oregon) “Scribe” and the Miami “Jewish Unity.”
The “Scribe” in its editorial of December 6th writes:
“One is deeply shocked to learn of the efforts of the Palestine government to interfere with the freedom of the correspondents of the American Jewish press. It seems to be the intention of the government to control the important function of conveying news to the world.
“This would be a most anomalous and dangerous situation. Just how serious it might be can be surmised from an incident that occurred during the testimony of Acting Commissioner H. C. Luke before the Inquiry Commission. Sir Boyd Merriman, attorney for the Jewish interests, pointed out the vague nature of Mr. Luke’s dispatches to the Colonial Office in London, which also showed definite bias in favor of the Arabs. One message describing an outbreak, stated positively that two Arabs were killed and then. It is rumored that twenty-nine Jews also were killed.’
“The testimony before the Commission is damning the Palestine government. Radical changes will be accessary. It will assuredly be serving poorly the interests of Great Britain to prevent the revelation through on trammeled and responsible news agencies of the true state of affairs. Candor and freedom of expression are British policies of long standing. Must Palestine be treated as though it were a backward colony?”
The Miami “Jewish Unity” of December 6th says:
“It is difficult to reason in what condition we would be if all the newspapers in the country suddenly ceased to operate as independent new sources and became government property. Yet that is the situation in the situation in Palestine where the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in the country is fighting to maintain the concession with the Palestine government.
“By various indications is it made evident that the policy of the Palestine government is to gain control of all news to and from Palestine. Once this happens, rest assured, conditions in Palestine will swiftly become suspiciously peaceful, cheerful and the Jews in Palestine will begin living off the fat of the land, or so the anxious expectant Jews in the outside world will be told.
“Perhaps we can’t do anything but at least we will remain very anxious and hopeful for the J. T. A. until this matter is definitely cleared up”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
