The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-29
newspapers aud funit-Fint.rs.

II is . good deal The fashion IL these ti4sVs
TO sneer at newspaper reports. The fac. ;aAt
some Of the statements made IN every news
paper ulseluently turn Out TO be Inaccurate, of
even absolutely info ndej, aaords somethil &
Of pretext TO those who deal in these whole
sale denuno iations. ptopio who deal in these
fippant diasrtbes do hot choose to recollect
that, amongst the mass Of daily intelligence
from ali sections, by newspaper, by telegraph,
by letters, and orally, which every twenty-iour
hours journalists must examine aud arrange,
SURPRISING what is clearly seandAlous, and
rjecnng what is paipably false VI wholly III
probable--a duty performed every twenty four
hours--nothing but iniallitii,y can prevent
journalists from failing sometimes 10 detect
that which is false, aud sometimes placing in
print that which is Inaccurate. Especially, in
times like these, when the whole atmosphere is
not with excitement, AID the whole cumnu-
nity is talking at random, the press would
have 10 be endowed with Divine wisdom to
preserve it from error. 1t is at worst but re-
Election Of the public sentiment and intelli-
sence---the mirror in which the community
always what it should be, the fault may posi-
bly, be in the coantenance tina: is reflected as
much "a in the looking glass. Moreover, IS our
able and patriotic contemporary, the Baltimore
E,'ohnng,, Justly remarks, no newspaper does
or can be expected to voush for the entire ac-
ruracy OF every item that appears i'll its col
umns It's conductors have 10 power to sum
mon their informan;s before them, and put
item on oath. subject to the pains and penal
Ties of perjury. The most they are bound to
do, is to sift as fairly aid inteliigen.ly as they
can the mass of matter before them, and con.
scientiously suppress what they honestly be
lieve to lie untrue in itself, or up ust to any i'll
dividual. This duty they perform, as far
as We know, about as honestly rs the
world at large discharges any Of its OBJ
legations and any man who reflects on
She subject, will be forced to acknowledge
that, considering the amount of information
which journalists furnish TO the public, L
is more to be relied on than that circulated By
any ether class Of people. When they give
currency TO 4 statement, it is nine times out of
ten substantially correct, because they have
generally, it is their business TO do, i.yesti-
gated the facts as soon Is they heard them. Bat
Of how many persons IN the community can
this be said : Are there not, every day, z thou
sand ahsur,, and libeilous statements aioat
throughout the community, and are not
these repeated over and over again in
the course Of morning by half the pop1la-
ton DO not the very individuals who COM
plain the most of the inaccuracies Of the press,
help to circulate, time and again, some false
hood or scandal, which they find is contradict
I'd by the press the next day? Ii newspapers
published indiscrimnately all thereports which
the rest of the community is continually en-
gagged in discussing and giving currency to,
there would ba more than caUse enough for
complaint The real wonder is that SO many
Of the nultitudinous items of information in
daily journal should be as correct as they are.
But neither for these, nor for anything
else that is good, do the croakers, grumblers
AID fault finders give credit With all the
shortening Is Of the newspapers, they are the
first to grab them in the morning ard the
loudest in cursng the carriers if they are not
rec ived. We sometimes wish that the press
could be entirely abolished for time, just TO
see the eclipse that would come over seine
people, aud over the reputation of others, how
owe all their notorety to newspapers, but for
whose excessive good nature not more than a
score or two of men in this country would be
known out Of their own bailiwick.