The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-12-19
NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY,
AMERICAN NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY

| lAMEHlCAN NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY
contains: A complete list Of Newspapers and
other Periodicals in the United States. Terrll
\ tories and Dominion OF Canada, arranged Ali
issue politics, or general character, form.
size, subscription price per year, date OF ess
tabiishment, editors and pnblishers' names.
and Circulation Estimates.
| The object Of the AMERICAN NRWSPA~
PER DIRECTORY Is not very different FROM
| that of the well known mercantile Rgenclea
which exist in all the leading cities. The latA
ter keep their subscribers informed Of tho
| character, habits, reputation, business ability
and financial strength Of persons with whom
| they are likely to have business transactions
| enabling them thereby to so regulate th0sa
transactions as to secure probably profitable
dealings, or to avoid such as will be likely I'd
result in ultimate annoyance or loss.
The DIRECTORY conveys the best obtaina4
l bio information concerning the character and
value OF newspapers. Its patrons are the men
who eXpend money In advertising "a largo and
important CLASSY, and IL is from them that thd
| publishers of the DIRECTORY, in their 0a-
pacity of advertising agents, derive their
protlG and support. 1t is to them and not I'd
newspaper publishers that they owe the duty
\ of faithful service The theory that adverA
tising agencies are che servants of neWspa-
pers, and should advance their interests irst
| Is annlhilated by the system long ago adopted
by publishers, almost without exception, Of
| Ignoring any idea Of protecting the called
| agency and Of maintaining the right to ap
DO int competitors in the same field without
| the consent of those already occupying 1t.
| AS the most important portion Of the infor<
nation supplied by mercantile agency con1
\ sists OF a report or the financial strength 0i
the person about whom information Is asked
| 80 is the circulation OF newspaper generalil
considered the point upon which informat04
will be Of most value to the advertiser.
There are, among merchants, some who deny
| the right OF mercantile agency to inquire,
into their private affairs, and who decline Civ.
| ing any information upon which report may
be based; but the mercantile agency does nov
on that account, neglect to make report ~
| gets from other sources the best ObtainaDi@
information, and upon this Its estimate ID
based, although 1t can not be denied that thu
reticeuce of the party In question is alm0sk
| always attributed to knowledge upon hiA
part chat true report would be prejudlOial to-
| mis- credit. The report made Is, therefore,
| likely to be less favorable than it might haya
been had the information asked for beea
| cheerfully and frankly furnished.
| So also there are among newspaper PUBLISH
ers some who deny the right of any one to iR
quire into their affairs. 1t has been the policy
OF the publisher Of the Directory to omit all Ing
| formation about circulation whenever plainly
| and unequiyocally commanded to do 30. Ii
sllch cases the matter is disposed of by anneRS
| ing TO the report the words 'objects to stating
| circulation" In every case where Ihc above
command is not plainly and unequivocall$
l conveyed to the publishers of the DirectorH
| they make UP their report in same manned
| pursued Dy the mercantile agencies In estt<
mating the financial strength Of u merchant
| and like the institutions referred to, they de-
cline to reveal the sources from which they
have obtained their information.
| Itis undoubtedly true that no publications. M
this character Is privileged, and that in an In
| stance where a merchant or newspaper IS se4
riously injured by an Just or materially int
| correct report the courts furnish romedE
and both mercantile agency and DirectoTJ
publisher will be held responsible for actual
| damages shown to accrue TO an injured party
| from report proved upon trial to have beeA
erroneous
| This is a liability which the publishers Of thu
Directory can not escape; it is therefore Ont
which they hold themselves at all times readt
| to meet.
| The greatest possible care is taken to makx
the Directory reports correct. Every pubs
| Usher is applied 10 very systematically. An
/ information Is taken In form which excludes
| any but definite 81 Atements which can not be
misunderstood, while every effort Is madesQ
protect honest publishers against such as would
resort to lying or perjureu reports to gain an
| unfair advantage.
| II has rarely been found that cause of COM
| plant mas arisen against any report which ha4
| appeared, in either of the seven annual voiA
| umes OF the Directory already Issued, which
has not resulted either from tho neglect of2
publisher to respond to appeals for informa-
iJion or an effort on his part to substitute otheA
and different information, instead Of ansWer<
ing the plain questions upon the blanks fur4
| nshed for the purpose from the Dlrectott
| Office
| Publishers Of newspapers who desire 10 fur.
nsh the Directory with statement of circUt
ation are supplied with blank which takes
| for granted tile following conclusions:
| FIRST-Every publisher is either willing uE
unwilling to have his circulation published d
| the DIRECTORY.
SECOND-If any publisher IS unwilling ID
| have his circulation published, the publieherA
OF the Directory owe 1t to their patrons to staft
| why the information Is withheld. This they da
by inserting the words "objects to stating
cncu culation.'
| THIRD-If willing to have his true circular
| tion aiven, q publisher will desire that h0AA
but true circulations shall be published fos
competing journals
| FGURfl.- none but true circulatIonE
may be published, it is necessary that none bud
| explicit statements be accepted from any.
| FlFIH-A statement intended to convey
explicit information must be 80 worded as n
prevent the possibility OF Its meaning being
misconstrued.
SIXTH-That none but true and explicit
statements may be accepted from others, every
publisher will see the necessity OF giving hid
own in regular form, ii at all. IL one Is all
lowed to vary the form little, another maj
vary it more. II none vary it, ali will De fairy
treated.
SEVENrH-The blank is entirely unobjee.
tionabe to those who desire to furnish fluff
and explicit Information.
EIGHTH-From persons who are not will
ing to furnish an explicit statement, ant
other would bic worse than useless.
NINTH-To persons who decline making
any statement, the form adopted is as unOtl
tjectlonuble as any other.
| TENTH-lf q publisher makes no statemenk
Of circulation, 1t is fair to presume that it il
from Indifference or neglect neither of which.
ON his part, Will excuse the publishers of the
directory for imperfeCtions In their book. FOt
all such cases the editor OF the Directory has
Instructions to estimate the circulation fr0m
the best information open to HIM.
The Directory estimates the circulation Of
no newspaper until after an application has
been made to it's publisher for the actual Ax%
urcs, and sufficient time allowed to elapse f0e
the statement to come to hand had any suck
been forwarded.
1t IS believed that no publisher of newspa%
per expresses dissatisfaction With the circulat
ton accorded his Journal in the AmericaA
Newspaper Directory who does not desire u
impress the public that his edition is greataG
than it Is in reality.
The raasJn given by several publishers fot
not furnishing an authoritative statement gE
their circulation for publication in the Amed-
lean Newspaper Directory is that many adVef-
tisers believe the circulation to be greater than
L. really is, and that this is an advantage Eie
the publisher which would be lost II .actuA
4 facts should be made known.
An unusual number OF publishers Of the Lead
ing daily papers are this year furnishing tkp
American Newspaper Directory with the
| artuai iourpa Of theIr cjrclitAti0n