The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-11-12

persp"
"Falsehood,, dishonesty. abnormal de-
velopment and bad art"
''What do you mean by falsehood?"
Lying"
This temporarily overcame the reporter,
being word he had never heard nor
thought of in connection with his pro-
fession.
Lying" said he, "falsehoodI Why
newspaper can't lie."
"Oh, yes it can. The paper can lie as a
whole, and the men who make it can lie
separately. A man who lies is not gentle
man. not honorable nor trustworthy, nor
deserving of encouragement. The men
make the paper, and the men are respon-
sible for the papers lies.
Then the reporter inquired what was
meant by abnormal development" in the
press.
81 mean this. Every business has its
pOrmal limits. which are maintained by
the needs of the general public and gov
erened by purely natural laws. If under
pressure of necessity or of need business
assumes illegitimate functions it harms the
community. One simple instance of this
false growth in the press is the way in
which the advertisements are allowed to
epcroach on the news. Legitimate adver-
Using is a public blessing. The timetable
of a railroad is legitimate advertising-a
PUBIC State OF IdcIs OIL PUBIC lmp0r-
tance"
'Tf the advertiser lies. that is an Injury
to the public. but the newspaper is not re-
spOnsible? 2"
"What the newspaper Is responsible for
is the allowing of advertisements in more
and more subtitle forms to usurp position
in the reading matter. and SO impose on
the public"
what harm does it do?"
m
terest in what be cares for to thrust upon
him what he does not care for. This
teaching the reader to become resistive in
stead of receptive weakens his confidence
in what he reads and controverts the gen.
eral usefulness of the paper"
But it pays"
mo. it does not pay. 1t does not pay
| any business to destroy its own first inter-
est, and this abnormal development In ad-
vertising does injure the best in terests of
| paper. 1t is sign of organic disease"
What do you consider abn ormal de-
vel0pment in newsY
The discrimination in the class of news
| given most prominence. The facts may
| be IN themselves correct. yet false in the
dlsproportionate prominence given them.
1t gives the reader an impression of the
worlds life wholly untrue"
do you mean that the papers should
chronicle only good things-ignore the bad
entirely ?"
Not at all. To carefully recount ali the
good things done in the world would fill an
! hourly edition of million times as many
papers as we have. Everybody is good
| mostly-the worst criminal only sins occa-
sionally. Health makea no cutlery, only
disease speaks through pain. 1t would be
a great paper which could give us the
pulse of the world daily-the proportion of
| crimes and casualties in general figures.
| O al ord fn Nf
our evil state. Not to recount the murder,
the prize-fight. the divorce case would be
| as dangerous for the public as that deadly
numbness which conceals the progress of
disease. The press should be mirror OF
our daily life, an absolute register of
humanlty's condition. As it is now it re-
| fleets as crookedly as silver door-knOb.
throws up crime like magic lantern and
makes Zoetrope of itself in the matter of
! sports"
''And what" pursued the reporter, do
you mean by bad art'?f
THAT expression means much to the
profession which uses it, and ought to be
understood IN all. 1t means wrong accord
ing 10 the ethics of the work ITSELF"
The ethics of work-what may that
be?''
1.-The ethics of work of any kind means
the right way of doing it, The carpenter
| and plumber can sin professionally as we'll
as what we call morally There is MOTH
ing in the Bible against a com bin ton of
brick red and magenta, but ii is bad art.
The largest feature of this in journalism
is in its miDgliDg the purely reproductive
process of recording events with the
processes of creative literature. The re-
porter should report-not construct"
What Do you mean that a reporter
should Just set down what occurred-a
mere dry record of facts-no style, no spirit
to it?'
''All the style and spirit you please. and
never dry unless he cannot help il, but
the facts-yes. If the report is of an ex-
citing event it should be so described , if it
deals with something beautiful let il be
treated beautifully. There is room for
| great genius in such work-the kind of
brain that can apply itself to any subject.
understand it and reproduce it. 1t is not
| fancy sketch that is wanted, but a por-
trait of the event"
Would people read your portraits 2"
| why should they If they don't want
to? There is no reason that | know of
why person should be juggled into read
ing what does not interest him by any
aIlurement of misplaced style. 1t is like
| the effort of the painters to attract atten-
ton TO an inferior picture by glazing
frame. or carry the picture by some
atrocity of transplanted beauty. 1t is bad
| art. The reporter should be spiendidly
paid aud highly valued writer, having one
Of the most powerful and comprehensive
| brains. and the perfection of art in his
| profession.
"But that perfection does not lie In de-
! grading the artistic conscience by work
which, however good OF its kind. is out Of
| place in reporting. Ii the reporter wants
| to write stories let him write stories
there is room for such"
Don't you think your opinion OF Jour
nalism is narrow one?.
Narrow? No. 1t is as wide as the
world. A newspaper In its news should
give to the reader vivid, artistic and abb
s0lutely faithful impression of the life of
| the world as it passes. In its advertise
ments 1t should give an equally clear and
correct account of the material things of
| life. In its editorials the governing brain
of the paper should collect and simplify
| the more important of current events and
| present wise comment thereon. And the
men who serve the world in this capacity
| should be recognized as among the nobest
| and most valuab BILE of public servants.
LAS to reaching this ideal it must be done
| by honest and general improvement in the
| people, on whom the newspaper depends.
| The press-workers should meet them half
way. We need far keener sense of honor
in the makers of our papers, who are,
after all. only part of that great public, on
| whose imperfection as whole rests the
| blame of imperfection in all its parts"