The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-26
THE MODERN NEWSPAPER.

fToni the NttCdTk Advertiser.
The publication by the N. Y. Tribune
of four columns of graphic account
of battle fought in France last Thursday. is
one of the notable incidents of modern Jour
nalism. 1t involved, first, the sending of
man with brains, eyes, education, and courage
to the field. He must also have enough of
social position and polite address to secure
kindly treatment and fair opportunity to
observe what is going on. His days work
done, he must telegraph to his principal at
London, and he again to the home Office in
New York. The exploit cost some
thousands of dollars, but was 80 well
executed that Americans are better in
formed as to the real events and results
of the battle of Gravelotte than are the in
habitants of Berlin, Paris, or London. The
same triumph was achieved by the Herald
In the Abyssinian war; and while the Tribune
has good right to glorify itself, the other
great dailies of New York are not without
their laurels in this matter of the Franco
PIussian war. Whatever of failure attaches
to them arises from the mistake of suppos-
ing that Paris would be the centre of news,
when, to use very bad and yet expressive
word, it 'eventuatedH that Paris has been for
days cut off from communication with the
principal field of action, and that such intel
ligence as came to the Government could not
be safely communicated to the people.
But the least successful of our New York
contemporaries has far exceeded the press of
London, which, free as it is and supplied
with ample brain and wealth, has not dared
to invest in news to any extent that would
be deemed enterprising in prominent Ame-
rican newspaper. 1t has contented itself
with what is called official news, and we need
only the experience of our own war to know
that private enterprise is more likely to tell
the truth than any statement coming from
sources which are deeply interested in the
result. The authorities are compelled to be
reticent if not absolutely economical in their
use of truth. Paris would have been a
whirlwind last Saturday had our dispatches,
all of which have been verified since, been
placarded in its streets. The Paris des-
patches in the New York Times of recent
issues show that even q keen scented and
capable correspondent was kept in compul-
sorry Ignorance of the real state of affairs at
the front
The modern paper is curiously enough re-
turning to the original conception of its duty,
which is simply to inform its readers of pass
ing events and to explain them from day to
day, not with authority or leadership, but
with that weight of influence which may ap-
pertain to intelligent discussion The editor
need not be lecturer. His personality is
of small account to most of the thousands
whom he addresses, but if in his writings
he shows ready comprehension of affairs
and decent power of logic, he may
be presumed to be quicker and
better judge as to what has really happened
than another man of equal intelligence
who is absorbed in his private business. The
facts he relates carry with them their own
logic, and need only comment and illustra-
ton. The fairer the tone adopted, the calmer
and less personal the language employed, the
stronger will be the control 1T exercises upon
public opinion. The power of a newspaper
does not rest in self assertion, certainly not
in the filthy use of personalities now aban-
doned by all respectable Sheets and only
maintained by struggling bankrupt establish
ments seeking to attract notice they do not
deserve, or stupidity by fellows who have no
business to claim place in a learned pro-
fession.
The tendency of journalism is toward the
entire absorption of the individual in the
paper. Who knows, and how few care, who
wrote the magnificent battle-picture in the
Tribune of Tuesday mornings Even Horace
Greeley, with his immense power of self
assertion and the many ear-marks which dis
tinguish his peculiar style, gets credit for
hundreds of articles written by others, and
the gentleman who controls the policy and
news business of the Tribune very rarely sees
his name in print The finished scholar and
accomplished writer who is the author of
most of the peryersely cogent 'leaders" in
the K0qtd is absolutely unknown to fame,