Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-09-22
NEWSPAPER WRITER'S.
0satiSying Improvements In the Char
acexr Of Journalism.

0satisyieg improvements In the Char
sctxr Of Journalism.
Why Is 1t. we sometimes hear the
question asked, that the owners and
managers Of newspapers do not take
greater pains in the selection of the
men who do the work on themp Why |
il il. the outsider wonders. that men OF |
shady characters. or with no character
ut all. are able to obtain situations rs
writer's or correspondents Of prominent
Journals. In short. why are not all the
men engaged IN an occupation which
offers so fine scope for talent, which
Is 80 attractive to men Of brain--why
are not all such men scholars and gen
tle,nenp
The first suggestion that these queries
brings up is to remind the questioner
that large majority Of the capable
and successful journalists Of the day
are men Of good character as wei, rs OF
a careful education. There are few
great newspapers in the country il.
the Offices Of which men who can
worthily claim the name Of gentlemen
arc not preferred to those who are
careless in their conduct and way
Of living. There is an improvement,
noticeable in this respect from year to
year. The American newspaper rs il
exists now. is very recent creation.
1t has grown up since the opening OF
the war Of the rebellion. Many of the
weekly newspapers Of to-day have
larger establishments aud employ more
men than most Of the daily newspapers
could show in 1860. Some Of the most
valuable newspaper properties in the
United States have been entirely built
up within the past fifteen years. Men
Of limited means who have acquired
newspapers Of small circulation and in-
fuence in certain localities. have seen
them increase until they lave become
enormously remunerative. In nearl,
every American newspaper. Office What
Is known as 1.-THE business manage.
ment" has vast deal to do with til.
growth and success Of the paper. Sue
cessful business management In man,
offices consists ''in keeping down eX
penses," and this results oftentimes IN
the employment Of men who az,
..cheap' in character and insensible /,
the value of good name. They ar,
men who .can get news" or who ca,
turn OFF quickly flippant and fetch
ing" article. but who have such weak
nesses rs to render them incapable o
advancement in tae profession Of jour
nalism. They are men who never ''ge
ahead" but who still have abilit,
enough to make them useful in way
They are tolerated because they per
form an amount Of work which men O
better standing in the communh
could not he got IN do for the sam
money. Occasionally. OF course, Their
is some really brilliant and forcihl
writer who Is able to make himself il,
dispensable in newspaper office
which he brings most disrepntabl
private life and reputation. But gen
orally speaking, it may be asserted the
the tendency in jour, ,lism. az in otht
professions ana call,ngs. is to set u
standards IT conduct and charactt
which render it more nd more diificu
for knaves and blac.. guards to obtai
IN entrance into it. Let us hope tn
the time may come when it will be
difficult and as unusual for such pc
sons to become jour-, lists rs it is 4
tlem now TO obtain 'ess 10 any Of Il
other great professions - IVashinyst
Capitol.