The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-13
DIsREpUrABLE JOURNALISM.

In an article entitled "Disreputable jour
nalism" in Gunton's Magazine for Novem-
Der It is declared that while in many re-
spects the daily newspaper has made great
during the past twenty years,
it is a fact that with some of those of the
largest circulation accurate reporting is
lost art Instead of informing the public
Of occurrences in the community that are
of legitimate public concern and comment
ing upon them editorially so as to aid in
creating an intelligent public opinion re-
garding them, a class of papers known as
yellow" have become scandal-makers and
scandal-mongers. This is because the pub
fishers have discovered that more people
will give a cent for columns of scandal,
abuse. caricature and venal misrepresenta-
ton than will give cents for clean, whole.
some news and intelligent discussion of pub
lie affairs. The chief complaint made by
the writer of the article is that such papers
appeal to the suspicious, passions and ig-
norance of a large class of people against
those who are rich and against corpora
tons.
This abuse of the sensational newspaper
is illustrated by the recent course of the
New York World against the Standard Oil
Company Public sentiment is against the
company because it is believed to be
monopoly. But it is not the Standard Oil
Company alone that is assailed, but the
railroads and even the courts. A man in
Ohio who has been doing an oil-refining
business furnished the World with its sto-
ries, which, when they were shown to be
false would not permit those assailed to
present their side of the case. One of these
statements is that the railroads would not
furnish tank cars to any of the competitors
of the Standard, while that company is
able to buy it's own cars, the implication
being that the railroads would not permit
the competitors of the Standard to use
their own tank cars on the same terms as
that company, which is not true. The
transportation by tank cars gives the re-
finer a great advantage, but if the com
panies which use them own them the rail-
roads should not be required to furnish
them for others. Another charge is that
the transcontinental roads ask sos for the
the Pacific to all competitors except. the
Standard 1t turns out that the Standard
pays the same as other shippers for the
same kind of cars, but that it has built
car which can be used to bring back GER
tain kinds of freight from the Pacific coast,
thus saving the cost of return. Another
charge is that the Standard is allowed to
deliver oils in small quantities by railroads
on more favorable terms than are its COM
petitors The Interstate-commerce Com
mission has investigated this charge. and in
one of its reports has declared that the
charge is wholly unfounded." In fact. the
party making the charge did not appear at
the hearing Another of the charges made
by the World and related by Mr. Lloyd in
his Wealth and Commonwealth" Is that
a refiner was charged IS cents a barrel for
carrying oil twenty-five miles. while the
Standard was charged but 10 cents. and
that the trust was given the 25 cents extra
taken from him. The fact Is that a local
agent made such q rate but the arrange
ment was repudiated BY the Standard and