Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1889-09-12
DUTIES OF TIE PRESS.
An address Delivered at the Meeting Of the
Oregon Press Associatioa, by J p.
Wager, and Published by Request


fashioned word, that came with its
much meaning ''into our lives with our
first garments, and yanishes only with
our morta. breath.
Duty is a word Of broad import, and
applies to all rational beings. Higher
and broader must this import be to
those who assume or are entrusted
with public or quasi-pubic trusts, than
to the individual as such. The duties
of a public officer, OF public teacher,
are necessarily more and greater on
account of the assumption or accept
ance of such a character and position.
An editor is in some degree at les,s,
a public instructor. He does not as
sumo this character to such an extent
as formerly, yet tie quality of ap adj
wiser of the people cannot be wholly
eliminated, nor its responsibility
evaded.
All the three great mediums of en-.
lightment by which civilization is en-
abled to thrive and advance to higher
planes and purer air, are less self-assert-
ing, dogmatic and oracular than
formerly; are milder, broader and more
charitable The pulpit, in expression
at least, whatever its formal credo, has
abandoned, one by one, many of its
old doctrines, by which it attempted
to teriorize its listeners, and now gen.
orally appeals to the sober reasoning
judgment of intelligent minds. TIE
schools too, instead of being dungeons
of torture, have become pleasant
resorts for mental nourishment: and
the press, with few pitiful exceptions
perhaps, no longer assumes to know
everything and to dictate, browbeat,
and command, bnt publishes, first and
foremost facts; and second, briefly and
modestly, opinions, depending upon
the broad ard wide-awake intelligence
of its readers to understand, discrim-
mate, discern and decide.
In other words, The. press is NOT a
censor, hut chiefly an informant and
after that an adviser. In both these
capacities its first and highest duty
as indeed it is of individuals lis to be
HONEST This means, first, the full,
fair, impartial, nngarbled publication
of the news; that is, the facts, the
truth, of all matters considered Of
sufficient importance to be published,
and of course limited By space and
opportunity; and second, an honest ex-
preston of opinion, justified in our owl
mind, not by prejudice, partlsanship
! or self-interest, but by a candid, in
telligent, reason-bascd and right-anglet
conviction. Such a newspaper, forty
or fifty years ago, would have been ;
curiosity, but now there are numerous
examples of great journals which arr
luminous in every line with just thiI
sort of fearless and unsweryable de
votion to duty. And these papers
in large cities, are the ones that ar,
taking the lead, and are prospering ia
beyond the organ-grinding press, show
ing, what ought never to need demon
stration, that "a strict adherence to
high ideal of duty pays. And | be
lieve duty-doing in this respect vii
pay liz small field as well as in
large one.
A newspaper is good deal like Al
individual. If a community find tina
man will lie or cheat, even in an il
direct way, it wants no more to d
with him; and it is just so wish
paper. Even its political or other ma
| ural adherents viii net approve III
fairness or deceit, and even Its politics
or other opponents must respect,
they do no admire, courageous hoI
esty.
Papers with decided political convi
J tions, and whose editors hare a stron
; sympathy with one political party an
. antipathy to the other, have constar
e temptation to allow prejudice to tai
i the pencil and scissors from<t the han
of honesty. [ do not think a pap,
|. need oe neutral or non-commital; I
the contrary / rather like best, at lea
in towns of considerable size, Il
papers that take decided stand for
against public measures or men. b
l must pity anl despise the partssa
ship that is so narrow ds to assume Q
the virtue to its own side of the hous
or the vindictive intolerance tn
teaches its readers, and especially Il
rising generations, that polite
. name is synonym for every kind
criminali,y, and that the history al
character of ,l murderer is essential
that of a political party, numberir
I about half of the voters of this gre
Republic.
1t is journalistic duty to be hone
. and fair in dealing with history as We
as with current events; and in pi
tending to epitomize or portray Il
] bistory and character of an event,
person, or party, truth, and justic
and honor, and therefore dntys demaI
that we shall rot magnify eFerythil
of evil. and speak no syllable of goo
But of course, when it comes to Il
:. duty Of speaking opinions in polite
and other pubic matters, we mu
exercise the charity we preach.
: will not do to say that duty for one
duty fol another; for that would