Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-08-29
Newspaper Lies.


In recent admirable discourse
before an association of Editors in
New York, Mr.. Charles e. Fitch, Of
the Rochester Democrat, warned his
brethren of several dangers peculiar
to the profession. One of them was
the want of due sense Of responsi-
biiity, and it is one of the chief. Ad-
monitions of the press are. indeed,
something like Cannte's orders to
the sea, except whom, as the lawyers
say, case can be made, and O par
ticular newspaper can be caught in
q particular offense. The true appeal
is to the public, which should be
constantly reminded to emancipate
itself from the thralldom of the idea
that size is greatness, or that volume
of sound is veracity. A newspaper
is q tremendous speaking-trumpet.
What great paper says goes thun.
dering and echoing round the world.
Every body must hear and attend.
But lie can thunder quite as up
roarously as the truth. And as tho
hearcr or the reader can not know
the motive of the speaker, who may
be interested in making lie as So
norous as possible, the hearer must
be on his guard constantly not to be-
lieve merely because there is such
an overwhelming noise.
This is especially to be remem-
bered now when almost daily the
gentle reader will see in his paper
some important statement in regard
to some important person which is
wholly untrue. 1t is made generals
~ with detail and precision. 1t has
the air of all the other information
in tho column. IL is elbow to ell
bow with an undeniable truth. There
is apparently no more reason for not
believing it than for discreditlng ev.
cry Thing else in tho paper. Time
and place and person and remark
are all quietly and circumstantially
told, and it is lie. Or, again, it
appears under slight veil of insin-
uation. "If the rumor be true that
Bishop Simpson picked tho pocket of
Vice Pres. Wheeler on Saturday the
10th instant, then it is evident where
the money came from with which he
bought the huge piece of tatfy that
he Is said to have been sucking as he
went to church on Sunday the 11th."
The mischief done by these two
methods of SANDER, the one direct
aud the other indirect, is inca lculabIe
and the faul. is not primarily with
the gentle reader--in fact, with the
respecting unit of the community
who is now glancing at these words.
There is no supply whore there is
no demand. Such lies would not be
told if they were not read as news
that is, as truth-by the gentle
reader. The remedy lies, therefore
with him, and it is very simple. 1t
is merely that he shall confide in
character. He knows that Bishop
Simpson is not thief, although he
may have no personal acquaintance
with him. Let him disbelieve, and
let it be understood by the paper
that he will disbelieve, any injurious
aspersion upon that gentleman. and
it will not be made. "Did you sec
that extraordinary story about the
Bishop 2" says gentle reader. By
that very question he has propagated
lies. 1t is because he does not in
stantly and instinc,ively disbelieve
it that it is told. The gentle reader
also knows the character of other
public men. He has only to trust his
knowledge against cloud of lies,
and the clouds will cease TO form.
The character of the press does rot
depend upon the editor and his re-
porter only, but quite as much upon
the gentle reader, who makes every
kind of public life more difficult by
believing whatever an irresponsible
and anonymous writer may choose to
say