The San Francisco call., 1897-03-07
VICIOUS JOURNALISM.

In the great cities of Europe and of the
East the attention of students OF social
topics has bsen called to the extraordinary
increase in recent years of juvenile crime.
In New York this phase of depravity has
been startling and there has been much
discussion concerning the cause of it, ana
| the best methods OF remedyine the evil.
The course of the discussion has made
clear the fact that all investigators are
agreed that the chief if not the sole cause
of the increase of crime among Juveniles
is due to crme-loving and crime-pro-
ducing newspaper press. Mr.. Gerry, presi-
dent of the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children, in New York City, in
discussing the extraordinary increase OF
child criminals in that community, says:
The first course of their training in vice is
what may we'll be called vicious journalism.
Lurid stories of crime, illustrated by vivid
pictures represent ting Grim inals in daring and
attractive attitudes; descriptions OF criminals
arres ted for gross imm Qualities, with the like
pictorial illustrations; narr atives of these and
especially OF children charged with crime,
where all the details are elaborated with the
greatest care. with their pictures often OF q
salacious character, making deep-seated and
deep-rooted impression. Any one converslng
with children held for crime may soon learn
whence the suggestions of crime are derived.
They are only too ready to talk on the subj biect,
and frequently TO compare their exploits with
those chronicled in these newspapers.
This presents a new phase of the evils of
decadent journalism. The wrong done TO
society by such papers as the New York
Journal and the San Francisco Examiner
has been repeatedly made known. So Of
fensiye have these papers become to
decent people that in New York bill has
been introduced into the Legislature to
prevent the publication of the pictures of
citizens without their consent. This bill,
which seems blow at the liberty OF the
press, is cordially supported by many OF
the leading papers in New York on the ex-
press ground that decadent journalism has
carried liberty to such degree of license
that the welfare and decency of society re-
quire some restriction upon the privileges
which have been hitherto accorded to
American newspapers.
The support given to the New York bill
shows that decajent journalism is danger
Gus to the press inasmuch as it threatens
to compel the public to seriously restrict
the freedom which journalism has To-. G en-
joyed. The newspaper profession there
fore even more than society generally has
reason to denounce, condemn and use all
| it's efforts to force these foul and offensive
journals out of the ranks of the profes.
sion. Society at large, however, will find
in the reports of the increase of juvenile
crime sufficient reason why it should CO.
operate with legitimate newspapers in the
war against fake and foul journalism, and
for that reason we call particular attention
to the discussion now going on in New
York and to the statement quoted from
President Gerry.
The remedy for the evil is we'll stated
| by the New York Post:
The press will never become moral or decent
| by dint of exhortation. The only argume
| that can reach ii, short of a severe penal
statute, is the argument of the almighty
| dollar. Cut off the profits of crime breeding
newspapers and you would be surprised to see
! how moral they would become. We do not
propose to waste any breath on newspaper
proprietors. 1t is to the general public, to the
| Christian men and women who buy their
| daily poison, to the business men and philan-
| thropists who keep their wretched and in
| fectious sheets alive by advertising in them
that the appeal should be made Theirs is the
| responsibility and in their hands is the
| remedy