Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-01-18
CIRCULATION!

The object Of the AMERICAN NEWSPAPER DI.
RECT0kY is not very different from that of the well.
cities. The latter keep their subscribers Informed q
the character. habits, reputation, business ability and
financial strength of persons with whom they are
likely TO have business transactions. enabling them
probably profitable dealings, or to avoid such as viii
DC n 1ise y to result result IN ultimate annoyance or loss.
formation Concerning the character and value of
newspapers. Its patrons are the men who expend
and i is 81 f Sonsf thems t e. isr he I rnbl iia1e1s'a az the eiaf 81:
da aIGiye }bei. In their rnS Ga Inen6rt OF E nd y td 4 agents
not TO- newspaper pu6lishfrs. that they owe the duty
vance their interests first, is annihilared by the sys-
eeption, or Ignoring any idea Of protecting the so.
called agency and of maintaining the right 10 appoint
competitors in the same field without the consent of
those already occupying 1t.
AS THE MOST IMPORTANT PORTION OF THE INFoR-
sIsTs OF a REPORT OF THE FINANCIAL STRENGTH OF
THE PERSON ABOUT WHOM IMPORTATION IS ASKED,
LY CONSIDERED THE PoIET UPON WHICH INFoRMA-
TON WILL BE OF MOST VALUE TO THE ADVERTISER.
There are, among merchants, some who deny the
right OF a mercantile agency to inquire into their pri-
waite affairs, and who decline giving any Information
upon which a report may be based; but the mercan-
tile agency does not, on that account, neglectto make
Die iRnfornatiso T1S and n u ponS fh Ssf its estimate tfg is S' based.
although it cannot be denied that the reticence of the
party in question is almost always ATTRIBUTED to a
knowledge upon his part that a true report would be
prejudicial to his credit. The report made is. there.
fore, likely to he less favorable than it would have
been had the information asked for been cheerfully
and frankly furnished.
So also there are among newspaper publishers some
who deny the right of any one to inquire into their
affairs. 1t has been the policy of the DIRECTORY to
omit, all Information about circulation whenever
plainly and unequiyoCally commanded to do so. In
such cases the matter is disposed of by annexing to
the report the words. "obj6cts to stating circulation"
In every case where the above command Is not plain
ly and uneQuivOCally conveyed TO the publishers Of
the DIRECTORY, they make up their report in the
manner pursued by the mercantile agencies in esti.
mating the financial strength of a merchant, and. like
the institutions referred to, they decline to reveal the
sources from which they have obtained their inf0rma-
ton.
It is undoubtedly true chat no publication Of this
character is privileged. and that in an instance where
q merchant or a newspaper Is seriously injured
by an unjust or materially incorrect report. the courts
furnish a remedy. and both mercantile agency and
Directory publisher will be held responsible for &C
tual damage shown to accrue 10 an injured party from
sreport proved upon trial TO have been erroneous.
This is a liability which the publishers of the d.
RECTORY cannot escape; II Is therefore one which
they hold themselves at all times ready to meet.
The greatest possible care is taken to make the d.
RECTORY reports accurate. Every publisher IS ap-
piled to very systematically. All is taken
In a form which excludes any but definite statements
which cannot be misunderstood, while every effort is
made to protect honest publishers against such as
would resort to lying or peFjured reports to gain an
unfair advantage.
1t has r tre.v been found that 4 cause Of complaint
has arisen against any resort which has appeared in
either of the eight annual volumes OF the +
RY already issued. which has not resulted either from
the Ieglect of the publisher to respond to appeals for
Information. or an effort on his part to substitute 9th
err and different formatio instead of answering the
pose from the DIRECTORY office.