The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-08-28

weakenedi Dack your IDEAS with arguments,
| for the human mind turns upon the pivot Of
| reason; be fearless in attacking what you be-
lieye to deserve attack, for even unavailing
bravery is more admirable than inactivity or
| cowardice; remember that through the me-
dunn of the types you are speaking to an i'm
mense audience that comprises many critics.
| Above all,
| DO NOT GIVE UP ANY PORTION OF YOUR
| INDEPENDENCE
to politicians or political parties. They will
favor you only so long rs you can advantage
them. They respect you only while thsy
| fear you, and they will reward you, II Mt all,
| only with the crumbs that fall from the
| richly laden tables at which you have assist.
| ed to provide them with seats. The pubic
| regards the editorial column a. the mirror OF
the papers individuality; conduct IL with
fairness, fearlessness, honesty and dacency,
| that would characterize your personal bear
| ing should yeu seek to obtain personal favor
| in the public eye, and it will rebound to the
benefit of the whole paper.
Let me in passing refer to rule Of
| JOURNALISTIC ETIQUETTE
that il too often violated: give credit for
| ideas or important items of news that have
| originated with your exchanges None know
| better than newspaper men that the toiler OF
| the pen is entitled to the fruits of his labor,
| aud his genius and one of those fruits-often
most highly prized-is the credit of author
| ship.
None know better than publishers the ben
| eft of advertising, and the best advertise
ment for any paper is to be quoted and cred
tied. 1t is not to be 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-
| citation are mostly dependent upon local sup
| port, and their circulation Is mostly confined
| to the immediate vicinity of the place of
publication. Ii Is therefore
THE LOCAL DEPARTMENT
| that should receive the largest share of your
attention. Local readers want to know all
that is happening among their neighbors,
and IL they have done anything noteworthy
| of which they are not ashamed they want 1t
| duly reported. Few occurrences in your
community are too unimportant to find a
place on your local page. Every paper in
Montana should be good local paper first
of all; after that furnish your local readers
| with all the news of the outside world that
| you have space to accommodate. Such pa
per has claims upon the community where
| 1t is published that nothing can supplant.
1t interests itself in its readers and its read
ers have corresponding interest in the pa
| per. They justly feel that Its life is part of
theirs, that its prosperity Is bound up with
theirs and 1t becomes one Of their cherished
| institutions. 1t Is eagerly read and then
passed to the neighbor who always has the
The publisher of a live local paper can null
tiply his subscription list by from five to ten
in order to reach fair estimate of the num-
Der of his readers And this Is an encourag-
ing sign. If you are publishing paper that
is sought after and read by the best senti-
ment of your community you have scored q
success However little the public appre-
ciates the mental and physical Dor and the
expense involved in the production of the
paper daily or weekly issued IL has an I'M
erring instinct for what constitutes good
paper. You may seek to impress 1t upon
your readers minds and you may yourself
believe that you are publishing better pa.
per than your rivals, but
THE ACTUAL TEST IS ITS COMPARATIVE
POPULARITY.
The public verdict must be depended upon |
as the judgment for success or defeat. can
think Of no more subtle fiattery and 10 more |
pronounced evidence of appreciation of q
newspaper than the public admission that |
It y reliable. When your readers come to |
understand, from experience, that yon are |
dili2ent to publish only the truth, you have |
obtained hold upon their continued sup |
port that 1t will be difficult to break. But |
repeated misstatements, whether they arse
from wllful distortions Of known fact or |
careless investigation followed by detection,
exposure and probable correction or apollo
gies, weaken public respect and reliance
and, az an inevitable consequence, lessen
your patronage. While no considerations
should restrict the publication of legitimate
news
THE AVOIDANCE OF sENsATIONALIsM
Is, in my opinion, essential to the success Of
every paper in NJ oEtana. Sensational Jour
nalism Is more easily recognized than de-
fined. To narrate an imaginary occurrence
OF startling character tbe theatre Of which
IL indefinite or located far away from any
chance OF Investigation by the majority of
your readers; to seize upon an episode of
trivial import and by loading it with i'm.
aginary II harmless details, give new and
more interesting phases; TO twist and distort
legitimate news item in order to give 1t
startling or sensational aspect; to hint at
various unmentioned or unmentionable de-
tails in order to furnish food for the readers
imagination; 10 drag private affairs into
print when nothing has been done to war
rant the license; all these are instances Of
sensationalism and all partake more or less
the whole public or upon some indi vidnal
from the most innocent specie of sensation
alism Is only short step to that policy
which regularly caters to low and purient
an alternative of assault upon private char
acter or the exposure of private TRANSACT ons.
So far as investigation will achieve that end,
LEI your news be trustworthy, and then pub.
on the part Of country editors that their
PAPERS ARE so SMALL
that they are not able to make them good.
The less space you have to fiji the more time
y GU should employ in producing, selecting,
revising, condensing and otherwise prepar.
ing such tS matter as you publish: In my opin-
ION the successful paper of the future,
whether daily or weekly, will be the one
whose few columns are crowded with sys-
arranged news that has been
carefully pruned of all snperhuous drapery,
and whose substance is condensed into AZ
few well chosen words as will tell the whole
story and no more.
Or what should constitute the
QUALIFICATIONS OF SUCCESS
Full JOURNALIST
1t Is almost useless to speak. It IL at least a {
where no talent il buried in the
earth. In 1t many fail where few succeed
The great prizes are scarce and many con-
tend for them. The quail acations for success e,
are manifoid, and few possess even a fraction .
u them. All the endowments of mind and I
body which nature might bestow upon her
IDEAL man; all the varied learning that could
Dc acquired in the years usually devoted to
exclusive study; all the constant attention
that retentive memory might give TO the
kaleidoscope Of current events: ali the nnra.
mitting industry that might be beato wed
upon profession, would only be sufficient
% WIN the grand prize In journalism. Not g
ny and write fuently, but it involves the 6
ability to appreciate the worth or worthless !
ness OF what others write. to sift sense from
!. ,;, and an. truth from falacyto summon
d the world; to understand the condition of
he public pulse; TO speak intelligently on '
avery subject OF thought, from the most o
'ilvIat 20 the most profound. If there IL one A
single department Of learning, from abstract
science to precinct politics, that a newsna.
per editor does not at some time in the | A
course Of q year feel the practical need of
being intimately acquainted with, i have Y
ret to discover what it is. Some writer hs.s :
aid: "The well endowed and well eouinned
journalist must possess the facuIty' the
breadth, the judgment, the Knowledge. the
,,teadiness and the versatility which are in. I,
iispensable to the well endowed and we'll
equipped statesman. There is nothing In o.
ne occupations, labors and Qualifications Of =
ne one which Is not suitable to the ouali-
ioations, iabors and occupations OF the .
timer. The successful Journalists must he a n
nccessiui man of business. To administer
ne editorial department Of an important
lewspaIer Is equal to administering 4 gov.
rnment. IL IL not given every man TO suc.
eed In politics and administration: but n
ny one shall turn from these emniavments =
,ecause ne Is convinced that he does not I
'ossess the talents which are reouisite Ia |
nccess, 10 will be vain for him to exnect ~
ncceed In Journalism. The few high nrizas v
I either pursuit are only to be gained ~ tn /.
nen OF ample and well balanced power. hns
. VINO Is destined 20 fail in one. ia iust az q
ureiy destined to fail in the other 7
BUT IF THERE ARE PEW HIGH pRrzrs n
? the world Of newspaper making II can a. /,