Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1855-08-11
NEWSPAPER BUs1NEss.-Joseph Medill, ESQ.,, g

NEWSPAPER BUsINEss.-Joseph Medi, Esq, a
leading Democrat in Ohio, and who has been six
years engaged in the business Of editing news
paper, gives the following as his experience:
During this time l profess to have acquired a
pretty thorough insight into the newspaper business
and the state of the craft, and to know something
OF its difficulties, its labors and its recompense
The result OF my observations enables me to state,
as fact, that publishers of newspapers are more
poorly rewarded than any other class of men in the
United States who invest an equal amount of labor,
capital and thought. They are expected to do
more service for less pay-to stand more sponging
and dead-heading to puff and defend more
people without fee or hope of reward, than any
other class They credit wider and longer; get
oftener cheated; suffer more pecuniary loss and
are oftener the victim of misplaced confidence
than any other calling in the community. People
pay printers bill more reluctantly than any other
1t goes harder with them to spend dollar on
valuable newspaper than ten on useless gew-gaw;
yet everybody avals himself Of the services of the
editor and printers ink. How many professional
and political regulations and fortunes have been
created and sustained by the friendly, though un-
requited pen of the editor?
How many embryo towns and cities have been
brought into notice, and pulled into prosperity, by
the press? how many railroads, now in successful
operation, would have foundered but for the assis-
lance of "the lever that moves the world?' In
Short what branch of American industry or activity
has not been promoted, stimulated and defended
by the press? And who has rendered it more
than miserable pttance for its mighty services!
The bazaars of fashion and folly the haunts of ap-
petite and dissipation are thronged with an eager
crowd, bearing gold in their palms, and the COM
modties there vended are sold at enormous profits,
though intrinsically worthless, and paid for with
scrupulous punctuality; while the countingroom
of the newspaper is the seat Of ewing, cheapenng,
trade orders and pennies. It is made point Of
honor to lquidate grog bill, but not of dishonor
to repudiate printers bill.
1t must not be denied that newspaper proprietors
are largely to blame for this state of things-thev
practice miserable diotic system of cutting under
or rafting" in their efforts to obtain patronage.
By putting low value on one-half of their services
and throwing the other half in" they infict mutual
injury upon the whole business; and when men
underrate their own services, the rest of COM
munity will not hesitate to put on a vet lower
estimate.
The newspaper business is overdone. The day
for starting new papers, with the hope Of making
them profitable is past, save in few western To-
cates In the whole State of Ohio there are not
more than five daily papers-one Of which is the
Leader-that are making enough money to justify
prudent owners in continuing their publication.
can call to mind but two or three daily papers in
the United States, established within the past six
or eight years. that have profitable. The highway
which the publisher travels is strewn with the graves
and carcases of defunct newspapers.