One subject that always seemed to rile up the newsreelers when it was leveled at them by print reporters was the charge that unlike the newspapers, the newsreel crews faked many of their news stories.

Ray Fernstrom, news cameraman for Paramount Sound News, replied back to one accusation in January of 1933:

“Now for the newsreels and reelers. There seems to be a general tendency, in various columns, fan magazines and newspapers, to criticize the newsreels of today. They say newsreels are monotonous, faked and nothing but repetitions year after year.

Is this so or not? Let’s look at them. Yes, there is a bit of repetition, but doesn’t news repeat itself? There are groups of annual events that are of course covered in the newsreels — Kentucky Derby, World Series, navy practice, West Point parade, etc.

They happen annually, so naturally such events are covered annually. Granted. Now are these subjects covered differently each year? The answer, you know, is No. That’s thanks to sound equipment, as we all know.

Newsreels are about 25 years or so old, and the public has seen such events repeated for just that length of time.

There is talk of cycles in picture production, five or seven year cycles, but newsreels turn in yearly cycles.

Out of the ordinary news spring from the mind of cameramen and contribute about 50 per cent of the novel material we see on the newsreel screen.

I appreciate the dearth of new, novel material, whether comical, spectacular or spot news. The magazines and newspapers supply the other half of new stuff. As for faking: Such never finds its way into newsreels.

That is one accusation I cannot understand and will fight as long as there are newsreels.

No news event, whether spot or feature, where the men risk their necks to get results, can be called faked, and such cracks be got away with.

I have only to think of Charley Traub and the auto speed trials at Daytona to go to bat for the gang.”