Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-05-18
A JOURNALISTS IDEAS OF THE
KIND OF NEWS 1T TAKES TO
SATISFY THE READ.
ING PUBLIC.
An Address Delivered by II. NJ
White, of the Mexico Ledger,
Before the National Press
Association i'm Chi
cage May II,
1893.
WHAT Is \ NEWSPAPER AND WHAT Is
NEWS?

WHAT Is A NEWSPAPER AND WHAT Is
NEWS?
1t will be impossible for me, in five
minutes, to define "What is a news
paper and what is news" although
| know plenty of people in my coun-
try who could make a better news
paper in five minutes than the editor
does in a week. Webster says a
newspaper is "a sheet of paper
printed and distributed at short in
tervals for carrying intelligence OF
passing events" /, of course, al
ways endorse what Webster says but
will 90 a little into details.
A newspaper is not an organ, po-
~litical, personal or religious lit is not
a I'VE or vent for spleen, bile, Vi
tuperation, sensationalism or black
guardism; it is not an engine with
which to destroy all who do not
think, talk or vote as you do; 1t
is not a party lasn. or cat-o'-nlne
tails with which to scourge or drive
the people on the ides OF Novem-
Der like sheep to the SHAMELESS. a
newspaper does not continually vii
lifv and abuse the editor of its con-
temporary or any other man its edl-
tor don't happen to like OK can't
use. The people don't care any more
what YOU think of the editor of your
odious contemporary than they do
for what the butcher thinks OF the
baker or candlestick maker. A news
paper never deals in personalities.
Personal journalism, purely political
demagoguery, funkyism and toady-
ism are not journalism and have no
place in the makeup of a news
paper. \ newspaper will not p~ervert
the news or color it to suit the pref
udice of its editor. 1t will not say
two or three peanut politicians at
tended the Republican caucus or that
all the substantial business men and
statesmen i'll town met with the
Democrats, or vice versa, to suit the
will of the crank that grlnds the or
gan. This would not be news but a
peryersion of facts. A newspaper
never faIsifies but always and under
all circumstances, it gives the news
impartially and does not ignore or
corrupt an item or article stor the
purpose of serving its own convlc-
tons or interests. 1t rather records
facts as it finds them and such a
newspaper will prevail by the hon,
esty of its purpose and the logic Of
legitimate argument based on the
facts. You must not only be careful
to tell the truth but you should
guard against sensationalIsm and al
that tends toward generalization,
Nothingshould be printed in a news
paper that cannot be read by every
member of the family. Don't publish
a paper that cannot be read aloud
advertisements and alp by the fire
side. Some editors print what they
suppose the public wants regardless
others publish what they think fol
the good of the public. In the Ions
run the latter pays the best in every
; sense Of the word. | think it is bes'
to look after the interests and new:
Of the home, the ire-side then you,
town, county, state and country il
the order mentioned. But it is no
for me to tell you how to conduct 4;
. newspaper although [ ought t.
know, as nearly everyone of my sub
scribers has told me often enough
and most Of them have Deel
reading the LEDGER long enough tt
be pretty good judges. To be brief
a newspaper is a journal which
prints tie news. This leads to thu
second part of my subject,
/ "wHAT IS NEws?n
The National Journalist, publish
ed in this city the organ ofthe news
paper men in the United States ant
a paper which should be found OF
every editors desk, in its Februar,
and March numbers of 1891, pub
Iished letters from prominent jour
nalists in the United States in re
ference to what is news. | quote
few. The editor of the Rocheste
On. y Morning Herald says
News is important as follows
First, local; second, state; third
I national fourth, foreign And add
1 that news is intelligence concerning
the life of the people, their deed
[ and works, their plans and purposes
their aspirations, their sufferings b,
disease, accident, crime and folly
their achievement is and failings
Nanton exposure OF what is espec
tally debasing and impettinent IAN,
/ publication of what is essential
private are vulgar and vicious.
; The editor Of the Grand Rapid
(Mich.) Democrat says: "News i
that portion of the record of event
which will be Of the greatest irteres
to the greatest number of readers o
the publication in which the recor,
is to be presented" The editor @
the Syracuse IN. y Herald says
News is that information which
yp1Ir readers most IauIro t .oal :