Morning journal and courier., 1892-03-28
EDITORS As CONFIDANTs.
The Things They Do Not Print is
More Than Half.

tE. A. watrous in Lippincott's.l
That newspapers print al, that they hear
is supposition entertained by the people
who bring what they think is news to
newspaper offices.
That newspapers print nothing that they
hear from irresponsible sources, without
investigation, is the truth known to all
trained newspaper men. That they do not
print all they know is known also to all
trained newspaper men. That they do
not print more than one-tenth to one-half
of what they know is the truth; and it is
known only to one or two men in every
newspaper Office, whose business it is to
decide whether "story" is worth "fol-
lowing out" and whether, after "follow-
ing out" it is proper for publication
Even these men, unless they are of an in
Prospective and retrospective turn of mind,
do not realize the enormous quantity of
chaff they winnow for the puolic's daily
loaf.
Fierce as competition is, there could to-
day be started in every large city of the
east newspaper which would outstrip
every other newspaper in the vitsl interest
of its news by simply printing what the
other newspapers refused to print. This
news would all of it, too, be within legal
and conventional bounds of decency
Then why not start such a newspaper
will be asked. Such newspapers have been
started in plenty. but none were sustained.
The reason, simply though seemingly
paradoxical, is that the stock in trade of
every solidly established newspaper is the
news it does not print. In other words,
confidence is the source of every piece of
really valuable news; and TO maintain that
confidence and obtain that news the news
paper man must daily sacrifice a vast
amount of readily printable and vastly
readable matter, the publication of which
would cut him off from his source of sup
ply.
This Is the reason why the newspaper
man is the best confidant in the world.
He cannot betray condolences in type for
fear of cutting off future supplies of
news. He cannot betray them in speech
for fear that some one else will betrsy
them in type, and thereby expose him to
the reproaches both of the source of his
news and the source of his income.
If the theory be not conclusive let me
call q witness to the fact. 1 may not dc
so by name-too many thousands know il
but may describe the witness as a man
| who for a dozen years has been connected
| with the administration of justice in one
| of the great eastern cities. His Language
| was, II have always taken newspaper men
| into my confidence, and / have been be-
trsyed but once"
In that dozen years that man had seen
and talked to q dozen newspaper men a
day. The confidence to which he admit.
| ted them was the most salable and the
most printable Imaginable. The eminence
| of his position made the mention of his
| name in print fnger-board which would
halt the attention of the most careless
newspaper-reader. The nature of it would
| make any secret he could reveal of start
ling interest. He had probably never laid
the injunction of secrecy on any one Of
tuitively understood what was for print
and what was not; and but one of then
had broken faith. In that dozen year.
that man had seen a hundred lawyer
break faith with everything in heaven and
earth but their clients interests. He hac
seen doctors by the dozen prostitut.
knowledge and pervert science to save tn,
lives or liberties of wretches with "posi
tion," to shield them or with money /,
pay an experts" fee. He had come int,
contact scores of times with that curiou
obliquity of vision of the clergy whicl
prevented them so often from observing
the age and condition of persons joinet
by them in wedlock that q remedy had &
be applied by statute In their state, to tn
profitable scandnlizing of the cloth in Jer
sey City. Yet he had observed only sin
gle dishonorabie action on the part of tn
newspaper craft. This certainly was no
because the newspaper men were less ful