The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1875-05-21
THE NEWSPAPER EsEJsr.
what q Well KnOWn VVeslerm
Editor and PubIIslseI.
Haste Saw About fr.

a. e1.- ssss
what a Well IxnOwn VVes1erm
Editor and PublIsl.eI.
HAS to Say About iE.
Col Aikens, editor of the Mil
waukee Evening Wisconsin. in re-
ferring to the newspaper business,
says: The average newspaper
reader thinks he could improve
the newspaper he reads, If he were
the editor. 1t is very common for
editors of long experience-men
who have given lifetime
to the profession-to get LETT
ters from subscribers offer
Ing advice. No doubt some
editors need advice; but as
rule an editor, fit to be in his
position, knows better than any
one reader what should go into
his paper. The readers Of q
newspaper are q community, and
their wants and tastes are broader
than those of one man; hence the
acute editor will find his way to
the satisfaction of the greatest
number. In this course he will
circumscribe himself only by re-
gard for trath, right and public
good. He is, however, constantly
tempted, by the large sale of pure
u nasty and immoral papers, to
increase his at the expense of de-
Fcency. But only on the ground
that the devil is the best paymas-
ter can this course be justified.
Edit 4 paper within the bounds of
decency and right, and the best
test of the editors work in the
sales of his wares-the number of
his readers. Edited upon any 9TH
er principle the paper becomes a
tract, and people don't buy tracts
the benevolent societies give
them away.
Another popular fallacy with re-
gard to newspapers is the very
general belief that fabulous for
tunes are made by publishing
them. OF course everybody knows
that not much money can be made
in printing a small paper in a
country town; but we speak of
prominent papers in great cities.
1t is common remark that we
hear with regard to Chicago
newspaper fortunes. There are
five principal newspapers in Chi
cago, and we understand from
most excellent authority that there
has been no money made by them
for some years. We know the news
papers have not paid expenses the
past year. The diffiulty has not
been whit papers, for they have
been good. 1t is the loss of ad,
vertising. Business has been dull
and the merchants and manufac-
turers have not attempted to ex-
pand by advertising. In the
United States are printed some
six Thousand publications. We
do not call to mind twenty men
who have made fortunes in the
business. So we repeat, it is not
a money-making business.
Perhaps the imost popular fall
lacy with regard to newspapers
is that generally entertained that
newspapers ought to be printed
and published in the interest of
the community particularly tie
INDECENT portion of the communi-
ty. Churches, poor houses, asy-
lums and all sorts of charitable
enterprises run to the newspapers
for gratuities, as O child runs to
its mother for help. Politicians,
office-seekers and scallawags, gen
orally count on the unpaid sup
port of newspapers. Now a news
paper, to be worth anything as a
business enterprise, should be
printed in the interest of it's pro-
prietor-just as much as q mer-
chant should run his business in
his own interest alone. This pop
ular fallacy has been largely bred
by the establishment of party and
personal organs, that live by beg
ging for support, and other news
paper medicancy.
Another very common fallacy
that has possession of the aver
age minds that an advertise
ment or ones wants and business
inserted in newspaper, is patron
age, is a generous sense. The fact
is that the publisher of first-class
newspaper usually charges less
than the cost of the white paper
covered, for the insertion of an
advertisements. So, If there is any
patronage in the transaction, it is
on the part of the publisher. A
stranger picking up a paper from
an unknown city, judges of its bu-
siness and general reputation for
enterprise more by the advertise
ments than by the ed ltorials.