The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-27
TIE IDEAL NEWSPAPER.

The Rev. DR.. Parkhurst, of New
York city, who has won some distinction
as a municipal reformer, has made the
statement that IAN endowed" daily paper
is about to be established in that city
which will possess all the good qualities
which are lacking in the daily news
paper of today and will be lacking in
all the bad ones which the ordinary
Sheet possesses. The following are to
be the characteristics of the prospective
daily, according to DR.. Parkhurst:
a newspaper that will tell the truth.
A newspaper that will print all the
news.
A newspaper that cannot be swayed
by advertisers or business.
A newspaper of limitless enterprise and
without fear.
A newspaper that will lead public opin-
ION.
A newspaper that the people will be-
ueve.
A newspaper beyond the reach of
patronage.
In short, an ideal journal that no party
can buy and no interest intimida te-print-
ing all the great news of the world and
telling the absolute truth regardless OF
friends or foes-the business Office OF
wall street-without pandering or pad
ding.
1t is not so brief a period since a Kan
sas minister gave the world his under
standing of what the ideal daily news
paper should be, but that expert
ment is already practically forgotten by
the public. The ideal paper then pro-
duced was indeed very dull affair, and,
save by a comparatively few who are
not always able to distinguish between
the requirements of a Sunday school
journal and daily newspaper, was re-
garded as a Iamentable failure
The ideal daily of DR.. Parkhurst is
quite a formidable thing in its way, at
least if it is expected to fulfill all the
requirements set forth by him. OF
course a little analysis of the foregoing
schedule of assumed qualities of the
Ideal newspaper will show that there is
good deal of hyperbole INDUCED in in
the description. An ideal newspaper is
simply an inpossibility. 1t matters no,
whether $780, 200, coo or $1O,OO0,OOO are used
to endow newspaper, it cannot realize
the ideal of but small fragment of the
people who are expected to read and
buy it.
The glibness with which those who are
not newspaper men talk about buying
g. newspaper is really amusing. There
are proporhonately more idea1ists in the
editorial department Of newspaper en-
ployment than in any other rank or call
irg in life, and men, too, who are much
farther above purchase. TIE newspaper
is a commercial enterprise to the extent
that it is expected to pay reasonable
return for the money invested in it, an,
for the labor bestowed on it; but in the
very nature of the enterprise those who
are responsible for its success and &C.
ceptability to the public must have
better and clearer underst standing of pub
lie ethics than at least those of the pure.
ly commercial callings.
Not only can there be no ideal news
paper, but there can be no endowed
newspaper. Whether for good or evil
the daily paper which touches elbows
with the people-not those who have
the most exalted views on every ques-
ton Of public and private concern that
comes under general consideration. brt
the plain, well-meaning and not over
well-informed peoples the paper of in
fiuence. 1t circulates. And the paper
which circulates is the paper of influence
whether for good or evil
Strange as it may seem to those who
know nothing about the newspaper bust
ness, newspaper which tells the truth
prints all the news, is without fear and
is beyond the reach of patronage and
which refuses in its editorial manage