New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-10
THE "SHANGRAIED" PRESS.

The orgy of mendacity in which part of the
newspaper press revealed during the siege Of
the Legations at Picking is not being passed
over lightly in Great Britain, as though II were
a trifng episode. 1t seems to be felt on all
hands that the interests OF the newspaper bust
ness. or OF the profession of journalism as you
will are seriously concerned. Regarded as a
moral force. the benefcence of newspapers has
been compromised by such wholesale propaga-
tlon of evil. Regarded as a learned profession,
the accuracy and judgment of journalism have
been discredited. Regarded as nothing more
than a business enterprise, the prosperity Of
newspapers is menaced and actually impaired
by performance which has deprived them Of
a large share of the public confidence The re-
suit is that even the most impudent offenders
have been publishing columns of apology, ex-
PLANTATION and labored attempts at self-exculpa-
tion while the more responsible journals con-
tain many austere preachments sometimes of
a hortatOry and sometimes Of a slightly pharisa-
cal tone.
IAN Old Journalist" in "The London Times"
points out that the present scandal radically
differs from the one of a few years ago which
created an almost equal sensation On the
former occasion 1t was proved In a court of
law that special kilograms" were largely manu-
featured In Fleet Street by a news agency
whose enterprise exceeded its honesty Actual
kilograms Of ten words-and not in code-were
expanded to one hundred or more by magma
tive ONCE editors. In some cases thrilling descrtp
lions OF battles, q column long, were evolved
from twenty or thirty words Of actual news
Such sophisticated stuff was distributed tn the
papers as having been actually telegraphed
from foreign parts, and was accepted and pub-
lished by them in good faith, and when the
fraud was detected the papers were the readiest
complainants against the manufacturers of
fictitious news. In the present case however.
the false dispatches were at least actual dis
patches. They really were sent by cable from
Shanghai to London To that extent there
FORE the editors Of the papers in London were
free from blame. They were justified in print
ing the news actually received from correspond
ents whom they deemed trustworthy-if they
did deem them trustworthy.
But, asks this "Old Journalist" what ahont
the senders of the dispatches? What are we
to think of a correspondent who telegraphs TO
his editor, II learn that" etc. a mass of details
that could be furnished by only an actual eve
witness, and who at the same time has no as
surance that his informant was an eye witness
but, on the contrary, has ample reason to he
heVe mat his intelligence is not only second
hand, but fifth hand or tenth hand having been
passed along through a series OF Orientals
characteristlcaly noted for Imagination and
invention rather than for truthfulness? To saw
lhat ne was lacking in discrimination and tudg-
ment is 10 state the case mildly And vet he
Is not altogether to be blamed any more than
his employer Is altogether to be freed from
Diane. The correspondent was trained I'm the
home Office He received his instruction and his
INSPIRATION from his editor And In telegraph
Ing his precious mass OF lies he was aiming 70