The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-10-15
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READ AND REFLECT.

The strongly partisan views of
many newspapers in this country I'M
fortunately tinge and sometimes
deeply dye all that they give to the
public. Even ordinary news is often
colored so as to make political capital
and effect party ends.
This is. unfortunate to journalism in
general. Although a discriminating
public will in time learn to choose be-
tween papers that are reliable and
those which prevaricate, the effect
upon the public mind is to create a
certain, amount of suspicion, and
to take away much from the import
ance which should attach to the ut
terances of a respectable public
journal.
However there are many people,
particularly in the rural districts of
the country, which form their opinions
| largely upon the teachings and state
ments of their favorite newspapers.
It is pity that they should be hood
winked and deceived. Some of the
sheets which circulate in country lis
tricts are so imbued with party bias
tate at no Misrepresentation, stop at
no statement however untrue which
will favor their party views or dam
age the cause of their opponents.
By such means unsophisticated peo-
pie are led astray, prejudiced against
the truth, turned into the paths of
error and led to vote for men and
measures that they would turn from
with aversion if they were not blinded
by the errors instilled into them by
partisan country papers.
1t would be good thing if all the
journals that are issued from the
press were purged of the gross mis-
representations with which they are so
frequently disfigured. There is surely
enough to be said on both sides of
every public question which either
party regards as true, without resort
ing to the falsehoods and tricks that
have become so common in political
polemics. Controversy would then
be raised to a higher level and the
strong feelings which are provoked by
the evident intent of an opponent to
place his adversary in a false position
would be largely avoided.
Readers Of newspapers who look to
them for light and guidance should
weigh well the utterances of editors
and not gulp down unexamined all
that is offered them for literary
pabulum. Reading should be encour-
aged, but Independent thought should
be still more encouraged. 1t is not
fair to take the statements
of a bitter partisan against a !
paper or a party which he attacks
without knowing exactly the position
and the language of the assailed.
There are at least two sides to every
question and both must be considered
from their own advocates before a
Just conclusion can be reached.
There are papers which, when Civ
ing the other side of question. make |
it rule to present it as clearly and
in as strong a light as the supporter
of it could desire, and then proceed |
to give their reasons against it. Such
journals may be relied upon by their
readers and their arguments are likely |
to be fairly put. Even then the reader
should accustom himself to examining |
critically the other side, that he may
determine how far the conclusions
reached by his journalistic mentor are
justified.
Journalism needs to be purged of
this disposition to exaggerate and mis-
state the facts and arguments of par
ties and writers on ''the other side"
And the general public need to inves-
tigate what they read and not be too !
ready. in this busy age when there is
little time for close reflection, to &C
cept for truth or sound reason all
that is published in any paper on any
question of the hour