The Mineral argus. [volume] (Maiden, Mont.) 1883-1886, 1885-09-03

: fairness. fraI!essues>, honesty AMI de-ceucy !
which should characterize your personal /
bearing should you seei. to obtain T. 'rsonal
favor in the public eye, and il will rebound
to the benef. of the whole paper.
/ Let me in passing ref,r tn a rule Of jour |
nalisiic etiquette that is too often violated:
give credit for ideas or importan; items of
news that have originated with your ex-
changes. None know better than news
paper men that the toiler of the pen is en-
titled to the fruits of his labor and his gen
ius. and one of those truits--oiten most
highly prizetl-is the credit of authorship;
none know better than publishers the brne-
lit OF advertising, and the best advertise
meni for any paper is to he quoted and
credited. II is not to he expected that all
the compilations of the exchange editor
are to be labeled with the record of their
origin; We all know where the line should
be drawn and should stick to the limit.
The newspapers represented in the asso-
cialion are mostly dependent upon local
; support aud their circulation is mos. ~ con
fined 20 The immediate vicinity of the place
of publication. 1t is therefore the local
department that should receive the largest
share of your attention. Local readers
want to know ali that is happening among
their De.ghbors and ii they have done any
thing noteworthy of which they are not
ashamed they want il duly reported. Few
occurrences In your community are too un
important 10 find a place on your local
page. Every laper ia Montana should be
good local paper first of all, after that
furnish your local r, aders with all the news
of the outside world that you have space
to accommodate. Sucn paper has claims
: upon the community where it is published
that nothing caii s,ipplant. 1t interests
: itself in its readers. and its readers have Il
core ,p"lding interest in the paper. They
justly feel that its life is Il part of theirs,
that its prosperity is bound up with theirs
3 and it becomes une of their cherished ill.,
I stiiuiions. II is eagerly Rad ami thea pas
: scd to the neishbor who always has the
= lntest news, hu; never sub~cri,es for "a
paper. The publisher of live local paper
can reasonably multiply in order to reach
4 air estimate of the number of his read
1 ers. And this j. an encouraging sign. ii
/, you are publishing "a paper that is souSli,
: after and read by the best sentiment of
b your community you have scoreda success
!. However the public may appreciate the
D mental and physical labor aud the expense
/; involved in the production of the paper
/, daily or weekly ISSUED, it has an unerrins
= instinct for what constitutes Il good paper.
Il You may seek to imp:css i, upon your
readers minds, and you may yourself be-
: lieve that you are publishing better paper
;. than your rivals, but the actual test is It's
/. comparative popularity. The pubic YER
+ diet must be depended upon as tie judg-
Il ment %; success or defeat.
e / can think Of no more subtle ilattcry and
II no hhore pronounced evidence of apprccia-
!. tion OF a newspaper than the public al
Z Mi. ian tliat it is reliable. When youi
roa.lers come to understand, from expert.
Il encc, that You are diliseEt to publish only
/, the truth, you have obtained hold upon
$ their continued support that it will be dif
4 ficu,t to break. but repeated nisiatr-
,c m nts whether they arise from willhl di,
- tor'ion of known facts ar careless il'vF>ti
= CATION, followed by detection, exposure and
ii probable correction or apologies, weaken
n,,.iin r..n,.,t and ,eli,pc.. anil AZ an il,
,vi,,ble consequence lessen vour n,,rop.
,e age. While no consideration should res
" ,rict the publication of legitimate Eews, tn,
AZ avoidance of sensatIonaii,m il, in IN,
i opinion. essential to the success of ever,
,,,,.,r /, vont.u, Sensational journalism
i ,,nr,. easily reca.,,,iz. "a than d,in,d +,
u,rr,,,. am i,,,.,iu,rv occurr.nca nf =, .tor,
limo clar,c,.r tho theatre nj which i in
d.,jni,e or loc,t,I l,r u,,.,v ,,,.,.. ,,,,,
: chance of ipvp,fi,,,.ion bv the u,i,ritv %
van, r,,.i,.r.. to ..;,..,,,,,n .u e,,i..,d. =.
- o,.,o.,f, ...;,l, i..,..i
IL rival import ann ~ ipd!.is IL "'tii iiasi
cs nary, il not harmless detoiis, give new an'
,,,,,,. ,utar...;uy ,,b,s.s. T., tv,is, anil iii.
" :.