The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-02
THE INTELLIGENCER.
WHEELING. MARCH ., 1908.


= oush ACbNlkts
The rebuke administered by the Judge
I presiding at the trial OF Sheriff Martin
and his deputies at Hazleson, Pa, to
sensational newspaper reporters who are
representing the eastern yellow Journals,
was well deserved. The Judge did not
Z so too far when he served notice on
these sensationallsts that every one OF
them would be barred from the priwi-
leges OF the court room IL they continued
TO abuse them by the publication Of
exaggerated reports Of the trial, calcu-
lated to prejudice the case In the public
mind.
During the past few weeks the reading
public has had rare opportunities Of wit
Messing the consclenceless methods
which have been adopted by yellow
Journalism, and of the manner In which
Z It makes use OF grave crises in public
affairs to lntlame. II not corrupt, the
public mind with sensational falsehnods
Z A trial of a case with unusual features
has afforded these same journals an
other opportunity to faunt before the
( eyes of their readers more OF this sor.
of yellowishness in all its hideousness
Incidents occurring In the court that are
of small significance are. magnihed into
sensational developments: the evil
{ denee of witnesses is given signlh-
canoe that 1t does no. possess, and is
placed under black headlines that are as
: shameful in their Misrepresentation, as
I Is the conduct OF the reporters who dish
up untruthfui reports of the trial, to
suit the tone OF the papers they serve.
and to cater to the taste for sensational
ism that has been cultivated by them
among their patrons.
This Is the same course that has been
pursued by these yellow journals in
their reports concerning the Maine dis
aster, and the developments Of the crisis
between Spain and the United States.
( II Is a disgrace to American Journalism
and harmful to the public. But, fortu-
nately, the public each day shows evil
dcnce ofits disgust with such methods,
and is learning to discount the reliability
of the papers that pursue them. Out OF
1t allswill come better appreciation OF
the conservative press that refrains
from the sort OF sensationallsm, which,
in time Of grave moment to the coun-
try, can only be harmful In Its effects
and unnecessarily add TO the gravity of
the situation.
AZ The journalists" who represent this
class of newspapers in reporting trials
in courts are OF the same type as those
who are just now furnishing SO much
that is totally unworthy of belief from
Havana, Key West and Washington.
Their employers who make stock of
public calamities for their own gain will
have no other news than that which
comes from a corrupted Imagination,
and will employ only professional
."faklrs''' who will do their bidding. The
Pennsylvania judge who administered
the Just rebukc to them performed 4
public service.
AT such a time, when the nerves of the
public are wrought to high tension. It
lis no time for sensational journalism.
Facts In regard to situation, which by
its very nature Is grave enough, are
what the public wants, and not spccula-
tion and bogus interviews with public
men who are afterward obliged to re-
pudIate sentiments that they never ut
tered.