The Portland daily press., 1874-07-11
Journalistic Veracity.

Journalistic yeracity.
The editor of the Harper's Magazine may
be able to give reason for publishing Mr..
Parton's paper on the 'Falsehoods of the
Daily Press" but the general reader will be
puzzled to find in the article any pretext for
its publication in SO respectable periodical.
1t has no single merit, being neither con-
vincing, spicy nor venomous. To be sure Mr..
Parton has given two illustrations of news
paprr lying, but in these he is not happy.
The one intended to astonish the public with
the degree of recklessness, dissipation ,effront-
cry and deliberate unreliability of profess
sional journalists, by depicting in sensa-
tional manner the outrageous conduct of a
lot of New York reporters sent to New
Jersey town to write an account of the exc
cuton of a murderer, proves nothing against
an entire profession if his statement were
tue; but when the reporters whom he ac-
cuses of conduct which would disgrace ordi-
nary savages, declare over their names that
his story is mere Pigment of his magma
ton, it may be asked who is guilty of lying.
The other illustration is weaker still; for its
aim is to give the reader to understand that
the much-talked-of lobby which annually be-
sieges Congress is a Gigantic myth''-the
creation of newspaper correspondents. 1t is
difficult, indeed, to account for the degree
OF mental and moral oblquity of the man
who, after three weeks of vigilant search
at the capitol for the presence and 'siniqui-
ties Of the lobby" is convinced that the
whole thing is a monstrous newspaper myth,
without attrbuting it to idiocy. Perhaps,
however, an explanation of this striking pc
culiarity of mental and moral constitution
can be found in the fact that this same Mr..
Parton has written biographies of Gen. B. f.
Butler and Benedict Arnold wherein the for
mer appears as prodigy of valor and states
manship AMI such miracle of goodness and
purity as to be competent to revise the deca-
logue, while the traitor of the Revolution is
rescued from infamy at the expense of Wash
ington and his compatriots. But this is
rather more of notice than the Parton Gu
riosity deserves.
The daily paper makes a great many mis-
statements which are in no sense lies because,
is impossible for human being to get the
whole truth and nothing but the truth. The
Journalist in such cases makes use OF what
ever information he can obtain from the best
sources at his command. His purpose is to
convey correct information, but by being
com elled TO rely upon the information and
statements of others, he frequently fails, in
which case, if there be lying, it is not by the
reporter since he has no intent of that kind.
1t is said by some critics that the newspaper
should only publish such matters as it knows
to be well established in fact. The publisher
adopting this rule would soon be looking
after patrons, or purchaser for his estab-
lishment, and the present critics would be
the first to stop their papers because there
was nothing in them except matters aireaty
so stale as not to be in any sense news.
From very necessity, many matters which
enter into the columns of the newspaper can
have no better foundation than speculation
or rumor, and the more important the topic,
the more extensive the speculation; for the
public will not care for opinions upon sub
jects devoid of general interest.
1t is not claimed but there are Journals
and journalists that do not distinguish be-
tween truth and falsehood, and very few
that prefer to print lies to the truth. These,
however, in time, and no very long time Ell
Their, become the instruments of their own
punishment. As an illustration of this, not
long since journal stated without qualiiica-
ton, that certain official whom its editors
might see any day had stolen from the gov
eminent large sum of money. Strange to
say, the statement did not occasion any com
ment on the street, and the man who might
be sup posed to have been outraged, merely
remarked that the reputation of the paper
was SO bad that man was not warranted in
bringing suit against it. Not even the po-
litcal friends OF the journal thought enough
OF the affair to allude to it for, in Campaign.
it was the thing to do. The man of average
intelligence would not believe it, but it
might affect the vote of a man who was not
familiar with this kind of lying.
The most prevalent and dangerous form of
lying by newspapers is done for others than
the Journalist himself and frequently for pay.
To-day thousands of people of small means
hold the nearly worthless bonds of the
Grand Union Continental Railroad Company.
simply because journal which had gained
their confidence by constant declaration of
It's virtue and annual wood cuts indicating
that the paper was the veritable rams horn
designed to level the walls of the Jericho of
evil, printed among its fervid moral editorials
equally fervent concentrations of these Sc
curities. The journalist who lies for others
and for price can usually sell his paper and
his soul.
''Organ grinding in journalism, besides
being odious to the journalist of spirit, fire.
quently leads to crooked utterances, half lies,
suppressed truth and flimsy defenses. if il is
followed to the letter. The journalist who
undertakes to approve of every act of his
party and maintain that eve.y prominent
man in it is, OF necessity, always right and ac-
tuated by proper motives, has the most con-
temptible OF all missions, to say nothing of
his reckoning with conscience. Happily the
leading political and partisan papers of the
country are outgrowing this form of journal
ism. They recognize that the political party
is OF the people and not exclusively for those
they may elevate to office, and that the best
service they can render the party, if moved
only by such considerations, is to carefully
but firmly, criticise both measures and men.
There are few papers whose malignity
leads them to prefer lying to truth-telling,
but outside of these, the general press is
more discredited by covering up than by tel
linglies.
WE thought il was about time. HYDRO
phobia and Havemeyer and the comet are
good subjects, but Gotham never co. Id mass
the summer without a score of treatises on
Asiatlc cholera. The season has opened well.
Tor 1t is reported that one woman is already