The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-23
The perversion of journalism.

The peryersion of journalism.
An interesting symposium has been
gathered by the New York CONNER
cial Advertiser among the presidents
of our leading colleges upon the sub
ject, The PerVerson of Journalism and
Its Cure. 1t shows that the foremost
educators of America are alive to the
evils of indecency in print and have,
in the main, a correct idea as to the
proper remedy.
President Schurman of Cornell OBJ
jects principally to faulty methods of
reporting news. He notices among
many American journals three pre-
dominant faults: First, they do not
report actual facts, but serve up in
stead sensational stories; secondly,
they do not distinguish sufficiently be-
tween events which are important and
events which are unimportant, and
thirdly, they evince an increasing pre-
dlection for sensatiOnalism, lubricity
and the gutter" The cure, he thinks,
is to appeal to the editors conscience
and at the same time boycott publica-
tions which refuse to be decent
President Garfield of the Ohio state
university is especially outspoken. He
says: with its carelessness in inVes-
tigation and its sensatiunalism in
methods of stating alleged results
with it's frightful disregard of all that
is due to the privacy of the household
and it's determination to feed to the
/ l., l..
| true or false that are no portion of
| history and have no bearing upon pub
| lie life or public morals, with it's heart
| less cartoons, and its reckless eXtraVa-
| ganCe of statements, the so-Called new
| journalism lacks courtesy, considera-
! tion, thoughtfulness truthfulness, gen
! erosity. sincerity, loftiness of purpose,
| clearness of vision, cleanliness of
| thought. healthfulness of life, and all
other characteristics of modern civil-
! Zation. Legislation against it can do
little or nothing, unless backed by a
robust and indignant public sentiment.
When such sentiment comes legisla-
tion will not be needed to send back
into darkness the bats and vampires
that disgrace that portion of the press
now given over to such methods" :"
President Whitman, Of Columbian
university,fe fears that nothing will cure
the new journalism but the grace Of
God" and Brother Fabrician, the pres
ident of St. Johns college, thinks that
if it is let alone long enough it will
eventually stink itself to death. Per
haps the most sensible and pointed re-
ply of all is that of Albert a. Wright,
chairman of the faculty of Oberlin col
lege He says: Il rejoice that the
time seems ripe for a vigorous and con-
Certed public protest against the deluge
of filth which certain journals are
pouring out upon the country. Allow
ing all that may be justly urged in
favor of the exposure Of evils or a
cure for those evils. there is no excuse
for the distortion of facts, for gloatng
over wickedness and wretchedness, Ot
for COnsCienceless"c comments upon pub
lie affairs from the standpoint of a
sensatonalist as if there We're nothing
stable upon which good might be built
Educators, ministers, parents and
every one who possesses any moral in
tluence should join in the protest and
follow it up with the banishment OF
such journals from public and private
places Nothing but public sentimen,
can deal with the evil"
, 1t looks as if such a protest were
coming.