The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-14
..News Frauds on Atlanta

Under the above headline the Atlanta
Journal proceeds TO administer a vigor-
GUS and weI-deserved drubbing to those
correspondents OF northern newspapers
who send out from Atlanta sensational
and often entirely false stories of occur
rences in that city and in the state. The
Journal refers to the stories OF the Per-
~ hanging, the Longstreet wedding and
other incidents to illustrate how facts are
perverted or deliberately falsifed in dis
patches to northern newspapers. The
correspondents, to all appearances. and
doubtless beyond question are after the
space rates which the newspapers pay.
and do not care three straws for facts
or for the reputation of their city or state.
They are apt scholars OF the yellow"
school Of journalism, and frequently go
far ahead of the teachers.
What the Journal says of the SANDER
Gus and injurious practices Of these har-
pies of the press, who telegraph that "the
most prominent people" are connected
with scandals which they report, or that
the leading men of the community take
part in lynchings, or that a few drunken
buns that create disturbance and fight
in a disreputable quarter are "scions Of
the best families will be agreed to
by every respectable newspaper and all
right thinking people. Such correspond
ents are a disgrace to their profession, and
no reputable newspaper should employ
them or permit them access to its proof
sheets or grant them other privileges of
the office.
without suggesting that such had been
the case, we would ask the Journal if it
has never directly or indirectly aided such
correspondents in their work. Have the
Journals proofs never been available to
persons who would build a mountain of
sensationalism upon a grain of truth,
in order to effect a sale of Special to
a sensational northern newspaper? Have
not the Journals columns themselves con-
tanned highly colored sensational articles.
of the stamp it is now complaining about
in the columns of New York newspapers?
Is there not distinctive School of At
lanta journalism which delights to exploit
crimes, casualties, scandals, horrors, and
shocking things generally, before news
paper readers, no matter upon whom or
what the reaction may come? Are there
more sensational and reckless newspapers
on the face of the earth than are to be
found in the city of Atlanta? We do not
think even the Journal will claim conserv-
atism and a high regard for the public
morals on behalf of the whole press of
its city. Outsiders have already formed
a pretty correct estimate of Atlanta
journalism" 1t is a class, or school, of
journalism which not only injuries the
good name of the city which supports it,
but does great harm to the whole state.
1t is not representative journalism, but
is an accumulated imitation of what is
worst in the journalism of New York and
Chicago.
We are pleased to note that the Journal
is out for reformation, and we believe it
can do a good work on that line. 1t prob
ably has it in its power to give publicity
to the origin of the faxed, false and sem
sational stories sent out from its city. If
the writers of such dispatches were as,
sured that their names would appear in
print they would hesitate a long time
before sending out their false kilograms.