The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-05-11
The Newspaper Business.

Col, Aikeus, editor oil the Milwaukee
EreminO Wisconsin ip referring to the
newspaper business, says: The Average
newspaper reader thinks he could improve
the newspaper he reads, it be were the
editor 1t is very common for editors Of
long experionce-meu who have devoted
lifetime to the profession-to get letters
from subscribers offering advice. No
doubt some editors need advice but as
rule aa editor, fit to be iD his position,
knows better than any one reader what
should go into his paper. The readers Of
a newspaper are 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. la this course he will
circumscribe himself only by regard for
truth, right, and public good. He is,
however, constantly tempted by the large
sale of purely nasty aud immoral papers,
to increase his at the expense OF decency.
But only on the ground that the devil is
the best paymaster can this course be
justified. Edit paper within tho bounds
Of decency and right, and the best test OF
the editors work is the sales Of his wares
- the number of his readers. Edited
upon any other principle the paper be-
comes tract and peopl don't bay tracts
the benevolent societies give them
away.
Another popular iallacy with regard
to newspapers is the very general belief
that fabulous fortunes are made by pub.
fishing them. OF course everybody
knows that not much money can be made
10 printing a small paper in country
town; but we speak Of prominent papers
in great cities 1t is a common remark
that We hear with regard 70 Chicago
newspaper fortunes, There are five prin.
cipal newspapers in Chicago, and we un-
derstand from most excellent authority
that there has been DO money made by
them for the past year We know the
newspapers 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 and merchants and manu-.
facturers have not attempted to expand
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. Sc
we repeat, it is not a money making bust
ness.
Perhaps the worst popular iallacy with
regard to newspapers is that generally en-
tertained that newspapers ought to bt
printed and published 10 tho interest o.
the community-particularly y the indig
ent portion of the community. Churches
poor houses. asylums and all sorts o
charitable enterprises run 10 tho news
papers for grstuities, as child runs Il
its mother for help Politicians, office
seekers aud scallawags generally count OF
the unpaid support Of newspapers. Nov
a newspaper. to be worth anything as
business enterprise, should be printed il
the interest of its proprietor-just a
much as a merchant should run his bust
ness 10 his OVID interest alone. Thi
popular fallscy has been largely bred b,
: the establishment of party and persona
organs, that live by begging for support
and other newspaper mendicancy.
Another very common fallacy that ha
possession of the average minds tina
an advertisement of ones wants and busi
ness inserted in a newspaper, is patron
age, in sort of generous sense. Tn
) fact is that the publisher Of a first-cas
; newspaper usually charges less than tn
cost Of the white paper covered, for tn
insertion Of an advertisement. So,
. there is any patronage in the transaction
it is on the part of the publisher.
stranger picking up paper from an Ut
, known city. judges of lis business an
5 general reputation for enterprise more b
the advertisements than by the EDITORIAL
: - Union, ". Y.