Indeed, if a professed enemy of black folk and their progress had set out to start a controversy so as to divide the Negroes and their friends in counsel and throw the whole burden of such hasty outbreaks of race hate as the East St. Louis, Washington, and Chicago riots upon them, he would have framed just such a questionnaire as has been sent out by this Commission.
The Crisis' view of the questions is presented in the following contrast:
| The Questionnaire | The "Crisis" Version |
|---|---|
| What, to your mind, is thedistinction, either in point ofview or definite racial aim,between segregation and "racialsolidarity"? A large number of Negroes arein agreement in the matter ofseparate colored churches withcolored pastors, and, morerecently, colored bishops. Yetthis is an argument used bymany exponents of the segregationidea, both whole and partial, forother separate institutions.Candidly, what is your opinionon this subject? | If you believe in colored churches,why not in colored ghettos? |
| Do you believe that if Negroeswere 100 per cent literate itwould make any great differencein race relations? Are generaland higher education likely towiden the breach between Negroesand white persons, increaseintolerance, resentment,sensitiveness to insults, orcan a quieted process ofadjustment or complete fusionof interests be expected? | Does not Negro advancement increaseanti-Negro hatred? |
| Do you believe Negroes areprejudiced against white persons? | Are not Negroes prejudiced againstwhite persons? |
| Do you believe there should berecognized leaders of Negroes?Are there such persons whomyou regard as qualified forleadership? Discuss their meritsand demerits. | Are not the mistakes of Negroleaders manifest? |
| What in your opinion, are some ofthe greatest mistakes of prominentNegroes in their policies or standon racial issues? |
At the time of this article the Commission had made no report of its findings whatever, and there was no possible basis for the accusation of bias. When a Negro living in Chicago explained that the questionnaire was prepared by a Negro member of the Commission's staff, the editor of the Crisis replied that "whoever framed the questionnaire of which I speak in the Crisis or advised its framing had a bias against Negroes. Of that I have not the slightest doubt, and what I was doing was simply to warn the public of this bias."
CHAPTER X
PUBLIC OPINION IN RACE RELATIONS—Continued
B. INSTRUMENTS OF OPINION MAKING
I. THE PRESS
We cannot escape the conclusion that the press is the most powerful institution in this country. It can make men, it can destroy men. It can conduct crusades; it can put an end to crusades. It can create propaganda; it can stifle propaganda. It can subvert the Government; it can practically uphold the Government. It is at once the most powerful agency for good in the United States and the most dangerous institution known under our system of Government. More than all this, despite theoretical laws which restrain abuses of the Press, so determined are the American people that its freedom shall not be abridged that they have written into the Constitution of the United States (Amend. I) the express provision that "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom ... of the press," and in practice the Press is free to destroy men, institutions and races, or to make them live, the power being limited only by the conscience and sagacity of the men who compose this powerful Fourth Estate.
—Edmund Burke
Sound opinions depend always upon accurate statements of facts. Upon the objective information which the press is supposed to provide, the public depends to guide its thinking. If the information source is polluted, pollution may be expected in the opinions based upon it. When the public is deluded by distortions of fact, one-sided presentations, exaggerations, and interpretations of fact controlled by definite policies of whatever sort, a situation is created which will inevitably accomplish great damage.
Race relations are at all times dependent upon the public opinion of the community. Considering the great number of delicate issues involved, the careful handling of this kind of news is a question of great concern and has been the subject of much comment and criticism both by Negroes and whites. These criticisms are frequent and vehement. Negroes in Chicago almost without exception point to the Chicago press as the responsible agent for many of their present difficulties. Throughout the country it is pointed out by both whites and Negroes that the policies of newspapers on racial matters have made relations more difficult, at times fostering new antagonism and enmities and even precipitating riots by inflaming the public against Negroes. For example, the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America, in its report on the church and social work, makes this comment: "We observe also with regret and deep concern ... the continuing incitement to riot by certain public officials and periodicals, especially the partisan press with its misrepresentation and inflaming spirit."