Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-01-13
Using the Newspaper.

The ordinary newspaper publisher has an
idea that ho knows what he wants to print.
and what his patrons want to read, better
than almost any body else. Hc believes this
because he thinks that experience has taught
him something about proper newspaper mat.
ter which an inexperienced person does not
know. lie usually publishes paper as q
business enterprise, anl fiads it to his inter.
est to publish it in that manner which will
obtain tor him the greatest number of intel
| igcnt 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 ttan the impa-
tient passenger. He meaps to accommodate
| the greatest number to tie extent of his
facilities, aud is able, therefore, to pay little
| heed to the advice or complaints of individuals
whose qualification might lead to the ncon-
venic nee and dissatisfaction 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
article or item should appear. We, all of US,
are more or less affected with the weakness
which makes us believe thut 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. 10 discover that snch is not
the case ls cause of astonishmcnt, not to
cay grief; to be Informed that other people
are thinking of something else and desire
to hear aud read of something else, is al
insult Tho newspaper man, who has to
keep Informed about what everybody is
interested in, thinks he knows better than
a person who has made no study of tho sub
ject, what will bo interesting reading and
| what will not. lie knows what will sell
his pnper and unless he is publishing it for
the sake of philanthropy or religion or social
or what not, instead Of to sell, ho makes
the sale measure of its popularity. The
assumton, of course, is that tho journal is
u respectable one, and would not publish i'm.
| proper matter for the sake of increasing its
temporary circulation.
Tho aim of tho publishers is, therefore
to give each subject the space and conspiou-
ousncss it deserves in comparison with the
other subject treated of in that issue If
his judgment does not accord with that of
some individual, tho individual may be Ger
tain that if he did it would not accord with
the Judgment Of somebody else. If the
man who complains of too much sporting
news hear tho ono who growls because 80
much room is given to religious mcotiogs,
he would feel that editor, in trying to steer
clear of Scilla, would be apt to TO dashed
to peaces upOn Chorybdis Tho editor
tries to avoid both by steering between, ana
gives to each the space it deserves in news
sense, as that is the only sense which in
mc'os paper not religious or sporting organ,
can be exercised. The comparison is not,
perhaps, u fair one, since tho advantage in the
way of increasing sales is largely with the
sporting news, while tho claims of the
religious news arc ooeroive, if not binding.
The comparison would bo farer between
those who complain Of too much politics,