The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-16
Independent Journalism-The Causei
nj thu Succass ~ thu Haeala

Independent JOurna lism-The Causes
OF tho Success Of tho Herald.
Independent journalism, which started
with the HERALD has no better example both
Of it's growth and its Importance than in the
HERALD itself. Forty years ago such thing
as an Independent newspaper was unknown.
News-gathering had not yet become a science.
Most of the editors of that day cared very lit
tie whether they printed the news tomorrow
or next week or not at all. Advertising was
almost as meagre as the news. Politics stood
uppermost in the minds of publishers. Every
editor was politician. Every journal was
political organ. The paper sustained the
party and the party gave the paper whatever
vitality it possessed. An honest and indie
pendent opinion was rarely, if ever, expressed
from one end of the land to the other. When
the HERALD appeared it wrought magical
change in every branch of journalism.
Founded to print the news, it printed it and
continues to print it in advance of oil its con-
temporaries. Every event of any significance
received and continues to receive its earliest
attention. Politics was only news, and, con-
trary to all precedent, news that was to be
treated from an Independent standpoint. In
dependence found favor with the public, and
the HERALD of to-day, crowded with news and
crowded with advertisements, is . magnificent
illustration of the greatness of the popular
favor which is extended to a newspaper that is
first in enterprise and most untrammclled in
opinion.
Look at our advertising columns to-day, and
day after day. They occupy more space than
some Of our contemporaries are able to
give to both news and advertising. They
often reach and sometimes exceed sixty
issue they exceed sixty-hve columns
The only journal in the world which rivals
the HERALD in this respect is the London
Times, but even the Thunderer fails to surpass
the HERALD. In every news aspect it is in
feror to this journal. It has no such news
gatherers as daily fill the HERALD with informa-
ton cleaned from every part of the world. It
has no such splendid special correspondents
as enrich the pages Of this paper. It gains no
such triumphs as the HERALD is gaining OF
home and abroad. Unlike the HERALD, it is
little better than its contemporaries. It can
not point to q long series Of triumphs like the
successful search after Dr. Livingstone and
the investigation of the state of the Cuban
instruction. The HERALD is never content
| with what is on the surface but sends its COM
missioners to all parts Of the world to ascer-
tain what is under the surface When the
Lowery gang Of outlaws was putting the peo-
pie of North Carolina in constant fear the
HERALD Commissioner went among them and
brought back with him the singular story of
| their lives. When Captain Jack began his
cruelties HERALD correspondent was the first
to see him, and the HERALD has had
the full story of his grievances and of
the negotiations for their settlement The
political troubles in New Orleans are an
other example of HERALD enterprise in OBJ
tanning the quickest and fullest information
on subjects Of great Importance. Our stories
of the second Inauguration of President Grant
were more widely read and more generally
commented on than any similar accounts ever
before printed. The HERALD's letters on
French politics have been among the best
which ever appeared in any newspaper on
like topics. We gather news from all quar-
ters, interviewing sovereigns or bootblaoks, as
the case may require, and offer at every break
fast table an amount of information that is in
itself a volume.
1t is easy to predict the place of the HERALD
in the progress of the future. 1t will always
be, as it always has been, in the front rank
It's enterprise and Independence have q recog-
nized value. Its success is due to these attri-
butes, and in maintaining them it goes for
ward in advance of oil its contemporaries
The people know that they can depend on Q
paper like the HERALD at all times. When o
voice is to be raised in behalf of the
people which shall take the side of
the people, free from all partisanship
| or bigotry, the public expects it from
the HERALD, confident that there will be
no disappointment. A case in point is the
prevalence of crime in this city. Notwith-
standing the Tombs is full of murderers some
journals have sought to have convicted crimi-
mails exempted from the penalties of murder
In this the HERALD could not join. The many
letters we have received commencing our
course, some of which We have printed, show
that the public fully appreciates and endorses
the course Of the paper The same thing is
true of the Credit Mobilier investigation. It
Is q very common remark that in that matter
the course of the HERALD was right, aud the
action of the committee and of Congress wrong
Whenever frankness or fairness is demanded
people expect it in the HERALD, because they
have learned that independence is the certain
policy of the paper.
The proud position which tbcpaper occupies
in this respect ives not gained without difi-