The Press: If I Were You

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The Scripps-Howard Cleveland Press is chummy with its readers. It gives movie parties and dance festivals for them, asks them in to look over its editors' shoulders, polls them on what they read and why, and aims its news and features to bracket the city's 36 national groups. Editor Louis B. Seltzer can never do enough to ensure that his public is one big (circ. 265,000), happy, satisfied family. Last week he tried a new dodge. He asked his readers what they would do "If I Were Editor," offered $10 for every letter that got into print.

More than 1,000 Clevelanders took him up on it, and most of the family circle spoke right out. Samples:

"I would . . . create a striking innovation in Cleveland by printing news. I would cease publishing petty editorials."

"Relegate the Tommy Manvilles, Joan Bennetts, Errol Flynns ... to the back pages."

"One of the first things I would do would be to stop propagandizing for a bigger Cleveland. Better—yes. . . . Bigness has not made New York or Chicago any paradise."

"I would risk my reputation [on] one paper a week . . . that tells only about the happiness of our homes. . . ."

"Please, straight reporting, no editorial comment on Page One. . . ."

"The Press seems constipated with standardized mediocrity. . . ."

There were backpats as well as beefs. Many readers liked the Press the way it was: "A newspaper with a heart and a mind big enough to welcome criticism." Most frequent suggestion: drop Pegler. One idea got no prize, and didn't get printed. Editor Seltzer agreed with the suggestion, but the reader neglected to tell him how to do it: "You should have a bigger front page."