The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1882-1884, 1883-07-26
THE PRESS.-I.
Newspaper Lying.

part Of our estate, we propose to give
a few editorials on newspapers
what They are. and siWhat link
they ought to be. We shall first
notice the newspaper as regards the
falsehoods that it weekly and daily
circulates. We do not intend to re-
fer to any newspaper in particular,
hy- ee propose to express our con.
vtceions on this subject just as we do
a., anv and Ill osner subjects that we
Discus. ~
IN the first place, We remark that
the rewspaper is q universal educa-
tor. There are two kinds of educa-
ton. There is that education that
improves the minds of the people,
and gives them higher ideas OF life,
it's purposes and its possibilities
and there is that education whose
training is just the opposite.
Then it is forced upon the editors
of the country, as defenders Of truth
and as the exposers of faisehood and
wrong, to look we'll to what they say,
how they say it. and sor what they
say it. And this is obligatory upon
them no less in the matter of publish.
ing what some one else has said be-
fore them than what they say them
selves.
Accepting it as true that the news.
paper is an educator, and remember.
ing that there are more than fifty
millions of people in this country.
large portion of which are daily read
ing the newspapers Of the land. how
can any man be Indifferent to what
goes into the columns Of his newspa.
per, both in quality and truthfnlness?
We shall consider first the founda'
ton and reasonableness of the oft
repeated phrase, newspaper lying"
1t has good foundation, simply be-
cause the newspapers of the country
publish lies enough to justify the ex-
preston. 1t is reasonable because
the people see so many lies in news
papers tat they don't know when to
believe the truth.
1t is often the case that in a jesting
way editors are referred to as not
being responsible every time for the
truth of what they publish.
There may be one case in which
the editor is not responsible for the
reliability Of his columns, and that
is the advertisements he inserts. The
editor is not supposed to know in
every case whether the advertiser is
truthful and honest or not. He sup.
poses that he is unless the transac-
tion OF business prove the contrary.
The advertiser ought to be held
responsible for his advertisements,
and not the man who inserts them.
AS to the safety of relying On other
things IN a newspaper, the editor is
looked to unless he. in some way Or
other. explains to his readers that
this or that article may or may not
be true. He at least gives credit for
what he clips from other papers; or
ought to, but some newspapers fail
to do that. It has doubtless been
thought ever since newspapers began
to be circulated all over the country,
that they were the means of commu.
nicating many things that were not
true.
So widespread is the conviction
now. however, that the newspaper is
the vehicle to convey lies over the
country in. that few people take up
newspaper without fully expecting
to see lie in it if they read it all.
So eradicable is the impression
that the newspaper is the only fit
page for registering all the lies of
tie day, that the young man or old
man who enters the field of journal.
ism now, feels that he has granted
to him kind of license which gives
him the privilege to write the whole
truth. keep back part of the truth.
write more than the whole truth.
and. if it suits him, send out to his
readers startling statements that
have not shadow of truth in them.
Indeed it is considered that newspa-
per editors are licensed to lie as long
as they follow the profession. And
this will continue as long as the
editors. of the country continue to
sustain the reputation. This is
wrong. A newspaper man has no
more right to tell a lie than any
other man. And the simple idea
that this right is acceded to the press
has a strong tendency to, and &C