Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-01-13
CIRCULATION ESTIMATES.

information concerning tho character and value
OF newspapers Its patrons are tho men who
e1pend money In advertising "a large and i'm
portant class, and II is from them that the pull
fishers OF tho DIRECTORY, In their capacity OF
advertising agents, derive their profit and sup
port. II IL to them and not to newspaper pub
ishers that they owe the duty Of faithful service.
The theory that advertising agencies are tho
their interests first, 70 annihlated by tho system
long adopted by publishers, almost without OK
ception, Of ignoring any idea Of protecting tho
so-cslled agency and maintaining tho right to
appoint competitors in the same field without
the consent OF those already occupying II.
A THE MOST IMPORTANT PORTION or THE IN
FORMATION SUPPLIED NJ MERCANTILE AGENCY
CONSISTS OF REPORT OF ruK FINANCIAL
STRENGTH OF THE PERSON ABOUT WHOM INFoRMA-
TON IL ASKED, 40 Ia THE CIRCULATION OF NEWS
PAPER GENERALLY coNsiDERED THE POINT UPON
WHICH INFORMATION WILL NJ OF MOST VALUE TO
THR ADVERTISER.
There arc among merchants some who deny
the right Of mercantile agency to inquire into
their private affairs, and who decline giving any
information upon which report may be based
but the mercantile agency does not, on that &C
count, neglect to make report. 1t gets from
other sources tho best obtainable information,
and upon this its estimate is based, although ii
cannot be denied that tho reticencc of the party
in question is almost always attributed to
knowledge upon his part that q true report
would be prejudcial to his. credit Tho report
made is, therefore, likely to be loss favorable
than 1t might have been had the information
asked for been checrfnllv and frankly furnished.
SO also there arc among newspaper publishers
some who deny the right Of any ono to inquire
into their affairs. 1t has been the policy Of tho
publishers Of the DIRECTORY TO omit all in
formation about circulation whenever plainly
and unequivocally commanded TO do no. In
such cases tho matter is disposed Of by annex
ing to the report the words objects TO stating
Ai,.rs ,I,rfsp To- Al,A .h4,,~
command is not plainly snd uncquivocally con-
veyed to the publishers Of the DIRECTORY,
they mako up their report in the same manner
pursued by the mercantile agencies in estimat-
ing tho financial strength Of . merchant, an !,
like the institutions referred to, they decline to
reveal the sources from which they have OBJ
tanned their information.
It is undoubtedly true that ne publication Of
this character is privileged, and that in nm
instance where merchant or newspaper is
seriously injured by an unjust or materially in
correct report the courts furnish remedy, and
both mercantile agency or Directory publisher
willbo held responsible for actual damage
shown to accrue to an injured party from re-
port proved upon trial to have been erroneous.
This is liability which the publishers Of the
DIlNCTORY cannot escape it is therefore one
which they hold themselves at all times ready
to meet.
The greatest possible care is taken to make
the DIRECTORY reports correct. Every pub
Usher is applied to very Systematically All in
formation is taken in \ form which excludes any
but definite statements which cannot he mlsurl-
derstood, while every effort is made to protect
honest publishers against such as would resort
to lying or perjured reports to gain an unfair
advantage.
1t has rarely been found that cause
of complaint has arisen against any report
which has appeared. in either of the seven
annual volumes of the Directory already is
sued. which has not resulted either from the
neglect of q publisher to respond to appeals
for information or an effort on his pert to
substitute other and different information
instead of answering the rlnin questions
upon the blanks furnished for the purpose
from the DIRECTORY Office.
Publishers ofnewspapcrs who desire to fnrni.h
the Directory with n statement of circulation
are supplied with blank which takes for grant
ed the following conclusions:
Every publisher is either willing or unwilling
to have his circulation published in the Dirtc-
tory.
If any publisher is unwilling to have his cir
cuaton published, the publishers of the
Directory owe it to their patrons to state why
the information is withheld. This they do by
inserting the words: "Objects to stating crc'l-
lation."
If willing to have his true circulation given, |
publisher will desire that none but true circula-
tons shall be'publishsd for competing Journals.
FOURTH.
That none but true circulatons may he pub |
lished, it is necessary that none but explicit |
statements be accepted from any.
FIFTH
statement intended to convey explicit in
formation must be 30 worded rs to 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 his own in rcg,l-
lar form, if at ALL II one il allowed to vary
the form little, another may vary it more. II
none vary 1t, all will be fairly treated.
SEVENTH.
The blank is entirely unobjection,ble to those
who DESIRE to furnish full aud explicit infor-
nation.
From persons who are not willing to furnish an
EXPLICIT statement, any other would be worse
than useless.
To persons who decline making any state
ment, the form adopted is rs UNDERSTANDABLE
as any o'her.
II . publisher makes no statement Of circuit
ton. it is fair to presume that it is from |
indifference or neglect ther Of which on his |
part will excuse the publishers Of the Directory |
for imperfections in their book. For all such
cases the editor of the Directory has instruc-
tons to estimate the circulation from the best |
information open to him.
The DIRECTORY estimates the circulation of no |
newspaper until after an application has been |
made to its publisher for the actual figures, and
sufficient time allowed to eapsc for the state
ment to come to hand had any such been for
warded
II is believed that no publisher OF news
paper expresses dissatisfaction with the crcula-
ton accorded his journal in the AMERICAN
NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY who does not de-
sire to impress the public that his edition il
greater than it ia in reality.
The reason given by several publishers for
not furnishing nm authoritative statement Of
their circulation for publication in the AMERI-
CAN NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY is that many
advertisers believe the circulation to be greater
than it really is and that this is m advantage
to the publisher which would be lost if actual
facts should be made known.
An unusual number of publishers of the lead
ing daily papers are this year furnishing the
AMERICAN NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY with
the actual figures of their circulation.
In addi ion 20 the above information, the
AMERICAN NEWSPAPER DIRECTORY for
1876 contains classified lis 8 as follows:
PERIODICALS PUBLISHING OVER 5000
COPIES EACH ISSUE; RELIGIOUS NEWS
PAPERS AND PERIODICALS; NEWSPAPERS
AND PERIODICALS DEVOTED TO AGRI-
CULTURE, HORTICULTURE AND STOCK
RAISING MEDICINE AND SURGERY EDU-
CATIONAL INSTITUTIONS,O OR DEVOTED TO
EDUCATIONAL MATTERS: AMUSEMENT :
AND INSTRUCTION OF CHILDREN FREE
MASONRY, ODD FELLOWSHIP. TEMPER
ANCE AND KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS; COM ,,
MERGE AND FINANCE, INSURANCE. REAL !
ESTA Z. SCIENCE AND MECHANICS, LAW, :
PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS, SPORTING,
MUSIC, FASHIONS AND WOMANS SUI !
FRAGE; ALSO. NEWSPAPERS AND PERI
ODICALS PRINTED WHOLLY OR IN PAR
IN rHE GERMAN. FRENCH, SCANDINA-
WAN, SPANISH. HOLLANDISH, ITALIAN.
WELSH BOHEMIAN PORTUGUESE, POLISH
AND HEBREW LANGUAGES. q
One Thousand Pages---Price, $500. {
PUBLISHED BY