The Press: Mr. Townes Goes to Town

On the ailing Tacoma (Wash.) Times, many a boss had come & gone. So when their newest boss called a staff meeting, newsmen merely yawned. But Editor Willam A. Townes, stoop-shouldered and deceptively mild looking, jerked them awake. He had heard ugly stories about newsroom graft. From now on, anybody who took money on the side would be fired on the spot. Within 48 hours, Townes wanted typed confessions of what had gone on.

Two staffers confessed to running a downtown office where they took fees for getting publicity into the Times. Several were paid regular retainers by politicians. One reporter was...

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