The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-03
Sensational News and the War.


Sensational Journalism is much in evil
dence during the current affair with
Spain. 1t cannot be predicted what the
effect of 1t will be upon our national in
ierests. Possibly the governments mill
tary movements and plans are being given
too MUGS publicity, to the aid and com
fort of the enemy Plans Of campaign are
daily appearing in the public prints, given
upon the alleged authority of this or that
person or official who is in a position to
know. Movements of troops are speedily
reported together with conclusions pur-
porting to show the ultimate purpose of
the authorities in ordering such move
ments. If all of these printed stories were
reliable, evidently the enemy would be
daily put into possession of information of
great value to him.
There is, however, another side to the
matter. The sensational newspapers, in
their eagerness to present something new
and startling each day in order to keep
their sales of copies booming-and with
many Of them the object is to sell copies,
not to conserve the interests of the coun-
try-often go wild OF the truth. They
change the alleged plans of the campaign
as often as it is necessary from their
point of view to boom the business of the
circulation department. 1t is possible,
therefore, that if the reports of suci pa
pers are read by the enemy, they keep
him guessing" and to keep an enemy in
the dark with regard to what is really in
tended is a leading principle in military
strategy.
Meantime, some of the sensational
yarns which are being given space in the
newspapers. both in this country and in
Europe. are no doubt working harm to
the American cause. A case in point has
TO do with the recent firing on the Matan-
zas fortifcatlons by the blockading squad
ron. That incident has been extensively
written up by the sensational press, in
this country and in London, as a bonn
bardment of Matanzas." 1t was nothing
of the kind. Three ships of the fleet went
to Matanzas harbor TO reconnoiter. They
discovered the enemy actively engaged in
building and strengthening Notifications.
n
for the purpose of putting an end to the
activity in building there; and the effort
was eminently successful. No shot was
thrown into Matanzas. There was no in
tention to lombard the town. However,
it has been written up as a lombard
ment'' in which lone mule was killed."
That makes it appear ridiculous; a comic
opera affair. Some of the London papers
seem to have accepted the yarns at their
face val,Ie, and to be inclined to poke fun
at our navy for its achievement.
Other yarns of the sensation mongers
are full of the most tiresome buster and
folly. They keep the people at home sift-
ing through bushels of chaff in the hope OF
finding a few grains of wheat. They
make the people abroad think we are
nation of DULLES and ranters; and when
they read that we have 'bombarded" a
port and KILLED mule they laugh.
There was, indeed, nothing laughable in
the Matanzas affair. 1t was a serious,
iustffable and successful incident of the
blockade. Some sensational space writer's,
however. acting probably in the spirit of
the New York publisher who wired one
of his correspondents, d the truth; send
us something that win sell the paper"
have overdrawn the Importance of the in
cident to such an extent as to make the
results achieved appear ridiculous in for
eign eyes.