Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-04-12
The Telegraph and sensafi on News
papers.


We think the time has arrived for the
Press-at least the honest portion of ito
enter solemn protest against the frauds and
abuses that are put upon the public through
the agency of telegraph dispatches They
are not ouly deeeiying the people. but they
are bringing journalism in dsrepute and the
telegraph into con empt. Nobody knows
when to believe what they read in that de-
partment of newspaper; and by common
consent, and for very good reasons we may
add, the world is coming to believe nothing
coming through that channel, until it is pos
| itiveIy confirmed through the mails
The associated Press, who eollate news and
furnish it over the wires to the papers, at avery
heavy cost, are in a great part responsible for
this imposition, which has now become in
tolerable. 1t originated with the fast daily
press of the Northern cities, which, anxious to
get ahead of their competitors, were will
ing to receive just anything that was sent
them, and before fact transpired. would
publish a dozen guesses and conjectures
about it, all in the form of positive assertions,
about it, trusting for some of them to be
true. The New York Herald, and other jour-
mails of that cast, makes it practice to pub
lish everything that is sent to them, without
regard TO its source, or whether it has Cny
source at all or not-the only condition of
its admission being that it contains some
thing startling or scandalOus, that will set
the world agog and cause people TO inquire
for the Herald. &c. To meet the demands
or such newspapers, the Associated Press has
followed the example set it by other cores
pondents and the evil has progressed so far
that the telegraphic column of public jour
nal is now set down as a tissue of lies. We
have all sorts of vague rumors and specula-
tons. picked up in the streets, around the no.
tells and in the cutters, sent over the wires at
heavy expense TO the publishers; and hard
iy day comes when a positive declaration
on some important matter is not made, and
within twenty-four hours as positively re-
versed. And for all this, half the world, who
knows no better, are blaming the newspa-
pers, and saying they are no longer to be be-
lieved.
Nor are the newspapers, part of them at
least, though we hope very few, free from
guilt in this systematic fraud upon the pop
ular credulity. The class of which we speak
are not numerous at the South, and yet there
are some, which, for want of more solid mer
it, seek to build up reputation with sensa-
ton dispatches and other ingenious contri-
vances TO startle their readers. For this pur-
pose they continue to employ correspondents
who have often and again deceived and mis-
lead their subscribers, and we have known
some of them, when their correspondent fails
to come up fully to the sensation mark, by
startling headings, positive perversions of the
language and clear meaning of a despatch,
and sometimes by suppressing dfstasteful
portions of it, get up in their offices the re-
quisite amount of humbug for days con-
sumption.
Now, we enter solemn protest against all
this system of Misrepresentation, wherever
it may originate or be endorsed. 1t is an in
suit to truth, fraud upon the public, aud a
dishonor to noble profession. The people
of all classes look tn the Press for tiohf nd
truth; they form opinions and regulate their
actions by its teachings and the journalist
who would keep them in the dark by sup
pressing the truth. or lead them estray by
the PRONUNCIATION of what he knows 10 be
false, should be dashed with whip of scorpi-
ons from a post which he abuses and de-
grades.-SaUh. Rep.