The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-01
NEWS, NOT FAKES.
Discarding the Coupon and Return
ing to Legitimate Business.
San Francisco Call.


In fulillment. of the policy announced
few days ago the Call has disposed of all
the books it had for sale on the coupon sys-
tenn and has gone out OF that trade From
with fakes of any kind, and by fakes we
mean anything that is not legitimately in
Guided in the business of publishing the
news of the day. advertisements of the bus
mess of the day. and such miscellaneous
notes, comments and articles as are neces-
Sary to keep our readers posted on all cur
rent events of public interest.
Our opposition to taking in journalism is
the outcome of a deep seated conviction that
the system is not only derogatory to the
dignity of a great newspaper, but Is preju-
dicial to its best interests and offensive to
in itself, becomes fake when it is under
taken not as a regular business, but as
the public into belief that they are get
ting something for nothing. The coupon is
apparently free gift to the reader of a
newspaper, bur in reality it takes up space
that shoai5 be given to news legitimate
advertising, and the fake scheme of which
it is a part engages some of the attention,
energies and capital of the paper that
ought to be devoted exclusively to the gath
ering and the dissemination of news. 1t is.
therefore, a deduction from the news value
of the paper and a loss to those who look
for the news. FL
A man cannot serve two masters He
cannot be Journalist and a fakir at the
same time. The editor who resorts to fake
gifts to get subscribers will soon resort to
fakes to get news. When once the legiti-
mate object of Journalism is lost sight of
and the publication of the news is regarded
no longer the chief object of its energy
it is easy step to SenSationaliSm of
cry kind and to the complete abandonment
of all care for accuracy and truthfulness in
reporting events. By easy and inevitable
gradations the editor is transformed to the
habitual fakir. He considers news no more
than a pansy blossom, and will resort to
exaggeration and every other device in
either case in both cases to catch the
attention of the vulgar and the niekels of
the unwary.
The Call will appeal to none of that class
of people who desire a freight snap more
than they desire the news, nor will it ap-
peal to those who prefer sensatiGna,ism
more than accuracy. Having fakes to
offer, it wishes none of the patronage that
goes to fakirs. 1t will devote all the time
energies talent and capital at its COM
mand to the publication of news. In that
work ii will employ every resource of the
age and every means which civilization has
placed at the disposal of the news gathsrer.
Its agents will be everywhere throughout
the earth, and all that happens home or
abroad will be made known every morning
with fuilness that includes padding
and a conciseness that leaves out nothing OF
Importance.
The true rule of business is for every man
to stick to his own trade. Let the book
dealers sell books and the florist sell flow
ers. They have to pay rent. clerk hire aud
all the expenses of legitimate business. and
should be free from fake competition. The
public will be better served in this way
than it could be by any other process, and
for ourselves. we will stick to it.