Operation Muzzle

Freedom of the press is having a rough time these days, not only throughout the world, but in this country as well. From delegates at the UN to a U. S. governor, men in power have been trying to silence their critics in the press.

A UN committee, loaded with nations hostile to unrestricted news-gathering, drafted a treaty calling for numerous limits on newspapers. The committee members from Asia and the Middle East even wanted to prohibit any story which might "injure the feelings of the nationals of a state."

In Buenos Aires, La Prensa is still closed down, victim of a government-encouraged strike. Dictator Peron, facing an "election" year, has counted La Prensa's enforced silence as his first step to a complete victory.

And in Georgia, Herman Talmadge's boys are trying to ram restricted press laws through the legislature. The Georgia newspapers see Talmadge's action as an attempt to entrench his position by one of the simplest methods: getting rid of people who don't agree with him.

All governments must face criticism. Some of them are answering their critics with severe limitations, and are also trying to export these practices as well. Those countries which still maintain this basic freedom should fight every attempt to throttle the unrestricted press.