The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1897-03-20

was just a word tinker. The new jour
nalism Is after word tinkers. and II
made no mistake when IL pressed John
Jingle into service.
This foolish talk Of Ingalls, de
scent TO the condition Of a reporter
Is based on an altogether false pres
sure. Men who are successful report
ers do not descend to that occupation.
They work up to IL. Ii IL common
thing TO say OF newspaper writer:
oh, he's only reporter. That
shows how inadequate an idea some
people have of what they are talking
about. There are plenty of reporters
who justify the sheer implied In the
words above quoted There are
preachers who ought to be fined for
appearing in the pulpit. There are
artists who ought to be caught and
cast in bronze or into the sea. There
are doctors who ought to become sand
witch men. The genuine newspaper re-
porter-the American newspaper re-
pcrter-has the proudest position in
journalism. He can do what II is nee
essary to be done. what the editor
cannot do, what his ''superiors" gener-
ally cannot dole is an artist. Always
an impressionist. II is the reporter
who looks upon events and things and
persons. and by a few strokes of the
ZEN puts the reader in sympathetic
touch with what Is going on in the
world He is the medium of communi-
cation between the actors and thu au-
dience. IL he is a good reporter his
work may stand with any work in
any department of human activity.
The reporter. and | am sps aking Of
the reporter who realizes and measures
up &c the possibilities of better re-
porter than ingalls, can ever be, Of his
ECsition has not descended. He has
worked his way up. A certain well
known writer said recently that when
he commenced newspaper work he
thought he would be an editor in
year or two. He got a position on the
New York Tribune. and he convinced
himself that he would be the edit r
CT the paper in a few years. Mean
while he tried to get to be COED re-
porter. He succeeded. His name is
known everywhere in this country to-
day. He is an authority on a grea,
subject to which as a reporter he gave
sLscial attention. He is reporter
sill and he can lC,k down upon scores
OF editors.
| suppose there are some who would
contend that John Lawrence Sullivan
has suffered a loss of dignity ia be-
coming, in a short time, reporter.
Sullivan is also a recent addition TO
tho prize exhibits of the new Journal
ism. He has had a career. And now
he is only a reporter"
Speaker CT newspapers. journalism
has reached a crisis in this country.
For the last fifteen years sensational
ism in newspapers has been on the in
crease. Some money was made out OF
these daily illustrated dictionaries Of
crime and guide bccks Cf vice. Lately
they have bee HE more braZen. In the
meantime the decent newspapers have,
If anything, bccme clearer and more
respectable. The contrast between the
COED and the bad in the city papers is
striking. The people, at last, have
come 10 the point where they are be-
ginning 10 chose between the good and
the bad. The issue between decency
and indecency has been joined and the
trial is On. Within very short time
an important question is gong to be
decided in this country. IL will be de-
termined whether clean Journalism is
to prosper and be made the slanda-d
or indecent vandalism is 10 engulf The
press. The battle is being fought in
New York city. Responsibility has
taken a firm stand against the two
cheap opponents of the new journalism.
Lib aries. schools and churches have
thrown these sheets into tn" street.
IL is in some places reproach &c be sec n
reading a copy IF these papers The
prescribed sheets are backed by millioas
of dollars. and they are making bitter
fight. IL they are successful journal
ism will be degraded. II they are de-