The Election in St. George's, Westminster
The following declaration signed by Editors or ex-Editors, representative of British journalism, was issued in London on Wednesday :- The Newspaper Press to-day plays a much more intimate part in the life of every citizen than Parlia- ment, and its influence, day in day out throughout the year, is far greater than that of the political leaders.
At a time when the bulk of our electorate is still new to its political responsibilities, the power that the multiple- newspaper gives to irresponsible amateur politicians to mislead their readers by the weapons of distortion and suppression constitutes a menace to our treasured political institutions the gravity of which it would be impossible to overstate.
We, having no partisan interest whatever in the issues raised by the St. George's by-election, desire to place on record our sense of the national danger of the abuse of the power of the Press involved in the recent encroachments of newspaper proprietors upon the political field.
(Signed) GERALD BARRY, J. A. SPENDER, G. E. BUCKLE, . J. C. SQUIRE, A. G. GARDINER, H. WICKHAM STEED, KINGSLEY MARTIN, EVELYN WRENCH. RHONDDA.
18th March, 1931.
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