The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-06-10
AND COUNTRY
JOURNALISM.

The Chicago Inter ocean, with some
thing of surprise, i'll concealed, says, re-
ferring to the assembling of the National
Editorial Association in that city:
The National Editorial Association has
done one service to the profession of journal
ism which should stamp it great success if
it had accomplished nothing else and had
nothing more IN view. 1t has demonstrated
that the country editor is a man Of influence.
and that the country papers are great power
In the land. The business of the enny-a-
liner and the funny man who wrote jokes
about the country editor is no longer profit
able. The country editors are a band of
brothers and sisters, and when they stand to-
gether they can WELD more influence than
any other power in the country. They do not
speak to any particular constituency, but TO
all the people outside the great cities from
Maine TO California and from Puget Sound
10 Florida. hen we remember that less
than One-third of the people of this country
live in cities of over 1000 Inhabitants
and that the country editors territory ex-
tends to cities Of even $4,000 and 10000
population. we can understand better how
great majority OF the total population
comes under his influence and is loyal to him
and his paper. He may have but Il small cir
culatiOn tor any one paper, but the country
paper as a whole goes TO the great majority of
newspaper readers OF the United States. The
Editorial Association has, however, had a
higher purpose than self-protection. IL has
done its best work in SeltlmprOYelnent. in
DeIJerlng the country paper, IN keeping 1t
abreast OF the times and The metropolitan press,
and in discussing the higher work OF the
newspaper, apart from the mere neWsgather-
ing and money making. 1t has brought its
members together each year in different parts
OF the country and has sought to give them a
better knowledge of the whole country so
that to-day the country editor is perhaps less
provincial IN his knowledge and associations
than is the metropolitan newspaper man, who
considers his own city the, most important
center of the universe, and is often satisfied
with exploiting that alleged fact.
The words italicized are thus empha-
sized by us to point an objection. The
Inter- Ocean simply upsets the milk when
it declares that the workers in the Ma
tional Editorial land the State Associa-
tions, of course, out of which the ma
tional body arises are endeavoring to put
the country paper abreast of the metro
politan press" If that is the aim of the
association the sooner it ceases to work
the better for the country press.
Plainly, simply. and every one knows
it. though only few dare say it, the best,
truest, safest, most reliable there is in
journalism to-day is in the country press.
The metropolitan press is too closely re-
lated to the counting-room; it's estimates
are too much influenced by its self
esteem: it's reports of news are so often
extravagantly colored; its narratives of
alleged facts so often unreliable because
of the vice of sensationalism; its rivalry
is conducted upon too low level of
money getting; its columns are too often
used for blackmail and bought to serve
purposes that are vicious; conscience too
little enters into its conduct for the met
ropolitan press, as a whole, to lay claim
to the best there is in journalism.
The country editors and publishers are
closer to the people; they are under
stricter surveillance by community opin-
ion; their success depends largely upon
their honesty and faithfulness in reflect
ing community thought; their interests
are so closely interviewer with those of
their clieatage; they are so much less ex-
posed to the temptations that beset news
paper work in great cities-in short, they
are so much closer to vigor, life and
truth that they are truer, more reliable
and representative as newspapermen.
Horace Greeley once said that he formed
his Judgment of what was the drift of
public opinion by closely watching his
country exchanges, which he knew 10 be
close to the people. In so saying he ex-
dressed the whole truth Of the thought
that country journalism is the best there
is in newspaper work, however pro-
vincial though it may be, because it is
less sensational, freer and is ''closer to
the people,"
There are a few great exceptions to the
i,ncleanliness of metropolitan news
napers: but the metropolitan press, as
a rule, is the press of the counting-room,
and the slave of the lamp of the proprietor
whose paper is rather means to his own
aalash ends, and the promotion Of his