The record-union., 1895-02-20


that body. The organization had seri-
ously considered the advisability of either
closing it's doors to reporters or of pre-
pairing Its own reports and submitting
them to managing editors for use. These
are few of many and constantly arising
instances of inaccuracy in the local news
departments of the metropolitan press,
which evil smirches the entire news gath
erlng and reporting business of the State
and leads readers to doubt nearly all
they find in print.
We attribute the trouble to these causes:
l. Direct orders to color reports ire
spective of the truth-this, to serve pur-
poses other than news reporting. 2.
Haste, competition, jealousy and alb
normal and unhealthy rivalry. 8. Lack
of that sense of responsibility and pride
essential to the good workman in any
capacity. 4. The employment of men
for specific work whose training and
education has not fitted them to grasp a
large variety Of subjects, and to seize
upon and present the central thoughts
around which all of detail turns.
We are by no means saying that all
news reporting in the San Francisco
press is inaccurate and error, colored or
vicious; but we do say, and the statement
is susceptible of easy proof, that there is
so much of false, colored, vicious, mac
| curate and unintelligent reporting in the
| San Francisco newspapers as to greatly
| discredit all work in reporting lines.
| There is no boast in this that matters
rarely reach this stage in news publish
ing in the interior, though the boast, if
made, would be true. But in smaller
communities such conditions cannot OBJ
tain because there is closer relation be-
tween the newspaper Office and the read
ers than in the case of metropolitan
| journalism. Were the interior press dis
| posed to be careless, inaccurate and I'M
! Just, its relation to its clientage is such
that the disposition would not be tolerated
in action a month without rebuke that
would be effective.
But it is simple truth that in interior
journalism the spirit of accuracy and the
disposition to be fair and true and to
afford all men in news reports showing,
is the result of higher standard, of
direct personal responsibility, and of the
conviction that through these avenues the
greatest success is to be attained. When
| 1t shall dawn upon San Francisco jour
nalism that honesty is indeed the best
policy and that intelligence and accuracy
are infinitely preferable, morally and
| financially, to color, sensationalism, mis-
representation and lack of comprehension
on the part of employees, there will be a
revolution in news-g gathering and print
ing IN the city. 1t will not then be re-
piled, as was done not long ago by a
skilled reporter long engaged upon Bay
paper, who was called to temporary duty
in the interior, where the requirement
was that the facts should be reported in
the matter placed in his hands, and done
without color or any concern on his part
as to the results or his own views, that it
would be dull report, he feared, since
he had so long been given to embellish-
ment OF his work at the expense of accu-
racy and the truth, that really the new
task was a difficult one, for his orders
had always been to make "sensationally
attractive work" the main feature.
It seems never to have occurred to the
average newspaper man in San Francisco
that establishment, wit, vivacity and
fine style are all compatible with truth
in reporting; that because a proceeding.
event or meeting of news value is prosaic
and sober even to dizziness, it is not,
therefore, warrantable to give it vivacity
by the injection of ialsehood into the re-
port, or by perversion of the spirit of the
occasion in the account, no matter what
the truth may be. It is not commended by
any one that it is boundeu duty in news
journalism 10 give verbatim or full re-
ports OF anything. or TO report all things
that forge to the front. The true news
paper manager rightfulIy exercises the
privilege Of choice, and the ordinary re-
quirements of newspaper publishing de-
mand brevlty as compared with full re-
porting; it may be added that ne prefers
intelligent grasp Of matter in long-hand
report and Characterization to the often
wearisome and rarely used verbatim aud
shorthand report, which is usually me-
chanical and hence loaded down with the
indifferent and the immaterial.
But choice, brevity, spirit and read
ableness are not inconsistent with &C.
curacy, intelligent grasp, Justice and at
tracuYeness. II any proof of this were
need ed it is 10 be found in the example of
such journals as the New York EUea5ug
Post, New York Tribune, Boston ADDER
tiscr, Philadelphia Ledger, New York
Times, Boston Globe and Albany Jouyaai;
or where more extended, varied, less
staid and more yivacious and spirited
and popularity attractive, so-called, work
predominates, in such journals as the
New York HercLd, Chicago Inter- Ocean,
New Orleans Times Democrat, Cincinnati
Commercial Gazette, Louisville Courier
Journal and ST Louis Globe Democrat.
The public demand will some day, and
it is not far distant, compel some one of
the presaut nletronoljtau iournaTe 70 no