Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-10-13
THE PROPER COURSE.

A locally celebrated case has just
been concluded IN tho Third Disiric,
court Of this Territory. II was for the
most part the story OF n home doiilud, a
woman's honor destroyed nnd her
parAmour brought to bloody retrlbu.
tion. Some Of the details, while indie.
pensable to the jury, were unfit for
publication and therefore should have
been carefully excluded from every
home where there are children and
where purity prevails, this meaning,
we take II, all but very few. A nows.
paper however, being a vehicle Of
information TO the public, cannot ig.
moro important events OF tbs character
spoken Of or any other, aud the quos.
ton thus arises as 10 what extent It
may 10 In the direction OF details. II
may not exclude or revise 70 the ex.
tent OF insuiilcienoy or Partially, and
should not open lie columns 10 every
Vile or suggestive sentence employed
no matter how essential 10 n full and
fair determination OF the Issues In
court. This we believe TO be a. correct
an outline OF what rule the press should
be controlled by as can be- made In 30
many words.
The NEws has sought to act upon
that prlnoiple throughout-not gar
bling or being Incomplete, and yet
avoiding prurlency or vileness; nc
quainting It's readers with every o..
sentlal detail and withholding irOm
them language which presumably
they would not care 10 hear aud
therefore do not care to road. Certain
ly, in any case, they would prefer not
10 have language OF that kind intro.
duced into their family circle, even II
they could tolerate or even seek for It
themselves. This policy on our part
has, strangely enough oEe would
think, met with objection In some few
cases, and by those not given to i'm.
proper things generally. It's always
undesirable for fault to bo found with
us, and always desirable that II be-
found (when It FAUST be) because we
have done right. We did not publish
all that was testihed TO Ia
the trial spoken Of, but looking
back over what was published
we make the disoovery-tegrsiable
enough to us-thAt there was, II any
thing, more than there should have
been, more, perhaps, than there would
have been had there been time aud
opportunity for thorough revision.
Shll, 1t was not nearly as bad as the
report furnished by others, because
almost entirely free from actual bad.
ness, and was nearly Us good ns IL
could be with due regard for com.
pleteness.
The News earnestly hopes that the
time IL not lar oil whon the public will
be educated beyond the point Of de-
mAnding the horrible, the revolving
anu the vulgar through tho medium
Of tho press, anu then suoh matter will
NO longer appear. General statements
with the trend and prominent features
Of every matter Of pablo concern
would then be entirely satisfying,
The NEWS Ia determined to mAlntain
a stand as near 10 that point 80 It cat
get without losing sight Of the prevail.
Ing Characteristic, OF journal Of
today. by keeping above Talh-
or than abreast OF the tea.
dency u the times we not only be.
come disseminators OF nowB but OF
morals Ms well. This Is tho true aim
Of a true journalist; ana as heretofore
the NEWS Will ever be- found trying to
restrain and make more thoughtfuI ihy
huftying throng, rather than causing
II 10 Intensity its speed, mako more
confusing IL confusion aud less hpalll-
iul its unhealth,ulness by encouraging
anu aiding Tin the direction spokouoL
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