Pulliam and ASNE took on Sen. McCarthy p. 8

By: Ken Libenskind The year was 1953 and Sen. Joseph McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee was investigating Americans from all walks of life for their ties to Communism.
On April 24, 1953, McCarthy questioned James Wechsler, editor of the New York Post, asking him whether he or any members of his staff were Communists and if his editorials were attacking FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.
The American Society of Newspaper Editors responded by calling a special committee, which included Eugene S. Pulliam, to investigate McCarthy's actions. Though the committee was unable to agree whether McCarthy had threatened freedom of the press, four of its members, including Pulliam, condemned McCarthy for "using the power of government to probe into a newspaper editorial conscience and challenge its right to criticize government" (E&P, Aug. 15, 1953).
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