Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-07-11
WHAT IS PERSONAL JOURNALISM

An attempt has been made by San
Francisco journal to justify what is known
in this country as personal journalism"
by the example of the Pal Nail CARTE,
in its present work of exposing the crimi
nal practices of a class. There is no par
allel to be drawn between the cases.
Personal journalism in America is that
which asSails private reputation, either
for the purposes of blacl;mail, to CRAFTY
envy or malice, or to maliciouslv work the
ruin Of a political Or social opponent 1t
is engaged in pandering TO a depraved
taste for vicious reading, for mere love of
scandal, or to secure business advantage.
This kind of journalism stops not with
facts; it impugns motives; it distorts
the truth; it invades the family circle Of
its victim: it hurls It's shafts at the limo
cent wife and children of the assailed il
forces its offensive presence into the house
hold, no domesticity being sacred in its
eyes, and il makes of public concern pure
" private ard innocent affairs. 1t does
not confne itself TO facts and the dignifed
and judicial recital OF them, but having
taken 4 given direction it uses all the arts
known to journalism in suppression, garh
ling, coloring, examining and misrepre-
senting to present the victims case in the
most damaging light. In short, having
an end 10 accomplish, it stickles at the
employment Of no means, however unfair.
1t drags personality to the front when no
good end is to be conserved and only SEN
sationalism is to be augmented. 1t makes
itself the repository of all manner of filth
and scandal, foruse as opportunity presents
for the qualification OF its own vulgar ends.
In short, while masquerading as a public
benefactor, the only concern of personal
journalism is to waylay character for
merciless use in feeding the furnace Of its
sensational greed, regardless of every claim
of justice aud decency, and every demand
of truth.
Personal journalism may be still more
lengthily detined--it has SO many phases
that to present them all by definition would
he too extended task for ordinary col
umns The acts of the PaH Nal Gazette
in discovering and making public an infa-
nous traffic in female virtue, are in no
sense those Of personal journalism. The
past of the paper, the present work IN
which it is engaged, the Endorsement it
has from society in its crusade against in
famous crimes, the absolute proofs OF the
truth of its charges, the public good it cor
serves. all 90 to widely distinguish its work
from the personal journalism of America
1t is safe to assume that in exposing the
lustful crimes of the English gentry the
Gazette has not assailed their wives or
daughters, dragged in and smirched the
innocent or travelled outside Of the record
to blacken the characters Of the worthy.
L is safe, also, to assume that it has dealt
with facts capable of being substantiated
by proofs, and has not drawn upon its i'm
agination to make its accounts racy and
| sensational.
The San Francisco Chronicle has at
tempted to draw parallel between per
sonal journalism and the position of the
Gazette. The weakness of the attempt is
| apparent at a glance. The Chronicle says:
! We assume personal journalism 10 be the kind
| Of journalism which deals with persons, as con
| tradstiuguished from impersonRl journalism.
| those who condemn personal journalism is that
q public newspaper should deal with abstrac
tions, such as vice, crime, drunkenness cor
| ruption and dishonesty, and should not allude
! to the persons who practice these wrongs, 1t
| should condemn the sin, but screen the sinner.
| IL may be as severe as it plcascs in ccnsuring
Villaiuy, but il must be particularly careful not
to name the villain, especially If he be person
of wealth and repute.
The answer to all which is: 1t is not
true. No one with half an ounce of brains
defines personal journalism to be the deal
ing by a paper with persons, as contradis-
tinguished from the treatment OF things.
When the Chronicle gave such definition
il testified to its disingenuousncss and its
lack of knowledge of the public thought.
| lVhnn II declared that tho ideo oc those