Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1875-05-08
THE NEWSPAPER BUSH
NESS.
What - weIl-knOwn Western
Editor and Publisher has
to say about il.

EOltOr anu PuDkESgRer mas
to say about ii.
Col. Aikens, Editor of the Mil
waukie EUenin1 Wisconsin, in re-
ferring to the newspaper business,
says: The average newspaper rea-
der thiRks he could improve the
newspaper he reads, If he were the
editor. Ii Is very common for ed
iIors OF long experience-men who
have devoted a lifetime to the
profession to get letters from SUBJ
scribers Offering advice. No doubt
some editors need advice; but as a
rule an editor. fit to be i'm his posi-
ton. knows better than any one
reader what should go into his pa
per. The readers OF newspaper
are community, and their wants
and tastes are broader than those
of one man, hence the acute editor
will fad his way to the satisfac-
ton o. the greatest number. In
this course he will circumscribe
himself only by regard for truth,
right and public good. He is, how
ever, constantly tempted by the
large sale of purely nasty and i'm
moral papers, to increase his at the
expense of deeepcy. But only on
the ground that the devil is the
best paymaster can his course be
justified. Edit paper within the
bounds of decency and right, and
the best test of the EDITORS work is
the sales of his wares-the num-
Der of his readers. Edited upon
any other principle. the paper be-
comes a tract, and people don't
buy tracts-the benevolent socie-
ties give them away.
Another popular falIacy with
regard 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 small paper in a
country toWn;-but we speak of
prominent papers in great cities.
Lit is a common remark that we
hear with regard to Chicago news
paper fortunes. There are five
principal newspapers in Chicago,
and we understand from most ex-
cellent authority that there has
been no money made by them for
the past year. We know the news
papers have not paid expenses the
past year. The difficulty has not
been with the papers, for they
have been good. 1t is the loss of
advertising. Business has been
dull a mo Inc NJ, Il
turers nave not attempted to ex-
pand by advertising. In the u.
States are some six thousand pub
lications. We do not call to mind
twenty men who have made for
tunes in the business. So we re-
peat, it is not money-making bu-
siness.
Perhaps the worst 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-pa particularly the
INDECENT portion of the commune
ty. Churches, poor-houses, asy-
lums and all sorts of charitable en-
terprises run to the new spapers for
gratltudeS, as q child runs to lis
mother for help. Politicians, of
fice-seekers and scallawags gener-
ally count on the unpaid support
of newspapers. Now neWspa-
per, 10 be worth anything as bu-
siness enterprise, should be print
ed in the interest of its proprietor
just as much SO as a merchant
should run his business in mis- own
interest alone. This popular fall
lacy has been largely bred by the
establishment of party and per-
sonal organs, that live by begging
for support, aud other newspaper
mendicancy
Another very common fallacy
that has possession of the average
mlnd-is that an advertisement of
oae's wants and business inserted
In "a ueWs aper, is patronage, in n
s0rl OF generous sense. The fact
is thai the publisher of a firSt-claSS
newspaper usually charges less
than the cost of the white paper
covered for the insertion of an adj
vertisement. So, If tnere is any
patronage in the transaction, 1t is
on he part OF the publisher. A
stranger Ipicking up paper from
an unknown city. judges of its bu-
siness and general reputation for
enterprise moe by the advertise
ments than by the editorials
Y. Union.
American Girl VS.. Occident.