The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-21
INJUSTICE TO NEWSPAPERS.

In a recent address before the New York
Bar Association, Justice Brown, of the
United States Supreme Court, made an
unjustifiable attack upon the newspapers
of the country. 1t was unjustifiable be-
cause he cannot produce. the facts to sus-
tain his charge that the press is ''s. des-
potic and irresponsible power" He de-
clared that ugly stories are told of the
methods resorted to to create a sensation
or TO advertise a paper; of correspondents
sent to Washington with instructions to
blacken the character of particular men
regardless of facts; of editorial space sold
for so much line; of spies put into our
houses to unearth domestic scandals. or
upon the steps of public men to ferret out
political secrets" and many other things
detrimental to the character of newspa-
pers. OF how many papers in the country
that have a raying clientage has Judge
Brown heard these stories? One hundred
are represented in Washington by special
correspondents. How many of these cor
respondents have instructions to blacken
the character of particular men regardless
OF the facts?" All the papers which are
suspected of such an offense can be
counted on the fingers of one hand. There
is much criticism that is unjust, and gos-
sip is often given as fact, but the instances
are rare that men are assailed with false
accusation. Secretary Gage has been so
assailed of late, but the accusations were
made in the House by men who are alleged
to belong to the really noble profession
of which Justice Brown is an honored
member.
There are papers such as Justice Brown
describes. but very few Of them have a
in believing anything that appears IL them.
There is, here and there, local paper of
some circulation whose vocation is that
of the scavenger, just as there are law
yers who blackmail merchants who will
defraud. Because there are dishonest law
yers and merchants 1t is unjust to assume
that all lawyers and merchants are dis
honest. 1t is equally unjust to declare that
all newspapers will SANDER and misrepre-
sent because there is a sensational news
paper press whose vocation is to pander
to a considerable element in large cities
that seeks sensationalsm. The vast ma
jority of newspapers desire to give the facts
regarding men and current events. The
instructions of their managers are to get
all the facts and to give accurate ac-
is evident from the few complaints which
are made of real inaccuracies, Minor in
accuracies there will always be. because
no two men or women have the same recol-
lections of an event or of a statement.
Moreover. the tendency is towari fair
statement and accuracy. The old-time
seurrility of political newspapers has near
ly disappeared.
The reptile contemporary Is found
only in the organs of the remote cross
of the opposite party are usually fairly
given by the party newspaper because the
reading public more and more demands the
facts in accounts of all events as well as
in the market reports. There is not a
paper in the country with a respectable
patronage which would sell it's editorial
columns. This is not only because there
Is as much honor on the part of news
paper publishers as can be found with
men in other employments, but because
such base dishonesty would be discovered,
and, once discovered, the paper would be
ruined. 1t is easy to charge rascality
against newspapers on the street corners,
as has been done in this city, but when
the street corner accusers were called into
the grand jury room they confessed ignor-
ance of the matter they proclaimed on ru-
NOR.
AS whole, Justice Browns remarks as
published do very much the larger part of
newspapers great injustice in that he at
tributes to all the faults and crimes of the
few.