Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-12-16
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USING THE NEWSPAPER.

USING THE NEWSPAPER.
The ordinary newspaper publisher has an
idea that he knows what he wants to print,
and what his patrons want to read, better
than almost anybody else. He believes this
because he thinks that experience has taught
him something about proper newspaper mat
ter which an inexperienced person does not
know. He usually publishes a paper as
business enterprise, and finds it to his interest
to publish it in that manner which will OBJ
tain for him the greatest number of intelligent
and satisfied readers. His idea is something
like that of railroad conductor, who thinks
he knows how fast his train should be run
much better than the impatient passenger.
He means to accommodate the greatest num-
Der to the extent OF his facilities, and is able,
therefore, to pay little heed to the advice or
complaints of individuals whose qualification
might lead to the Inconvenience and dissatls
faction of hundreds of others.
The ordinary advocate of cause, on the
other hand, whether that cause be religious,
charitable, social or even private enterprise
for personal profit, has an idea that he knows
better what should be put in the paper than
the editor has, and has his own opinion as to
the place and style in which his precious ar
ticle or item should appear. We, all of us,
are more or less affected with the weakness
which makes US believe that the subject most
directly interesting to US is equally interesting
to others that what we are thinking of is
also constantly in the thoughts of others.
To discover that such is not the case is
cause of astonishment, not to say grief; to be
informed that other people are thinking of
something else and desire to hear and read of
something else, is an insult. The newspaper
| man, who has to keep informed about what
everybody is interested in, thinks he knows
better than person who has made no study
of the subject, what will be interesting read.
ing and what will not. He knows what will
sell his paper, and unless he is publishing it
for the sake of philanthropy or religion or
social order or what not, instead of to sell, he
makes the sale the measure of its popularity
The assumption, Of course, is that the journal
is a respectable one, and would not publish
improper matter for the sake of increasing its
temporary circulation.
The aim of the publishers is. therefore, to
to give each subject the space and conspcu-
business it deserves in comparison with the
other subjects treated of in that ISSUE If his
Judgment does not accord with that of some
individual, the individual may be certain
that if it did, it would not accord with the
Judgment of somebody else.~ If the man who
complains Of too much sporting news could
hear the one who growls because SO much
room is given to religious meetings, he
would feel that tha editor. in trying to steer
clear of Scila, would be apt to be dashed to
pieces upon Charybdis. The editor tries to
avoid both by ste ring between, and gives to
each the space it deserves in a news sense,
as that is the onl sense which in news pa
per, not a religious or sporting organ, can be
exercised. The comparison is not, perhaps, a
fair one, since the advantage in the way of
increased sales is largely with the sporting
news while the moral claims of the religious
news are coercive, if not binding. The
comparison would be fairer between those
who complain of too much politics, and
those who find fault because of an excess of
criminal news. Everybody will not be sat-
is6ed with all that is published the aim is
to make all dissatisfied with as little as posi-
ble The patent medicine man, the new
washing machine inventor, or the auctoneer,
are angry because their announcements can
not be scattered down among the local items,
but to satisfy them would displease a few
thousand readers, and so they are put into
the proper place. The old ladies society for
the cultivation Of tea among the Utes is t"
hold a meeting, and straightway several col
umns of matter pertaining to the aims and
history of the society is sent to the newspaper.
As no one would read it but the ladies them
selves, it is cut down to a stick full, and
makes an interesting item that everybody will
read, and contains all they care to know about
it, When Professor Goodcause comes to in.
terest the people, he wants the best reporter
on the force, and about two columns OF space.
If he don't get just the space and just the
style of type he thinks he deserves, he makes
fuss about it, and his friends fall in and say
they think he hasn't been treated just right.
There are a good many people who are
equally difficult to please they are generally
those who are under the most obligations for
favors received at the hands of the press.
Most newspaper men have a good deal Of this
sort of experience. The average citizen, who
takes his newspaper and pays for it, and
reads for what he can get out of it that is in
teresting to himself, who has no axe to grind,
no cause to plead, and business to advertise
for nothing, is the man who finds much that
he likes, and is fair enough to recognize that
what does not interest him is likely to inter.
est somebody else. He is also sensible enough
to at once see that the publisher has better
means of judging what is likely to be read by
the greatest number of subscribers than he
has, and is likely to cut down his circul ulation
by publishing for his own amusement that
which no one cares to read He also knows
his own right to stop his paper when he thinks
it doesn't give him the worth of his money,
and holds that power in reserve to exercise
whenever he is so disposed.