The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-03-17

Melville l.. stone Warns Publishers
Against False

New York Times.
Az the recent meeting Of the Newspaper
Publishers Association held in this city
Melville +. Stone, general manage of the
Associated Press, delivered an address en-
titled THE Commercial Side of the News
paper" in which exceptional interest was
taken. Mr.. Stone took the position that the
making of a newspaper Is nothing more
than a business, a trade, and said:
II hope L may be permitted TO speak
freely to the men of my craft. Let us see
ourselves, not as other see us, nor yet as
we pretend to be to those who sit before
the footlights, but as We see ourselves, and
as we. il we be honest, know ourselves
to be.
shall be forced to confess that very
few of those engaged in the business are
more than prentice hands in the shop.
How many, think you, of the managing
men In the newspaper offices of this coun-
try can set type, stereotype a form or run
a press? And yet 1 think you must agree.
If you give it thought, that these are at
least desirable qualifications.
Yet there are qualifications lying deeper
and of far greater Importance which are
quite as rarely possessed-I mean the quail
ncations of true leadership in the editor, OF
news instinct in the news management, and
of intelligent business direction in the pub
Usher. Let us see:
First hope you will agree that a news
paper should be the end and aim of it's
owner, and not a means to an end, if it is
to be a lasting success. 1t must win the
confidence of the public, and to do this it
must be admittedly wise and truthful; it
must be honest and prudent; it must be
just and forceful. In short, it must give
such direction TO the public mind as will
omman at least a large measure of pub
lie approval.
Has the press broadly succeeded in do
ing this? L was not a little interested the
other day when the Correspondents Club
of this city sent out a query TO a large
number of public men. They asked: What
shall the press do to be saved?' or, as they
put 1t, How can the influence of the press
be extended?' And almost as i'm chorus the
answer came back: Tell the truth Is it
not a sad commentary? And yet what else
might you expect? How many, think you,
OF the daily newspapers OF this country are
conducted fairly and honestly for the pub
lie veal and with an eye single to that
end9 How many deserve public confidence?
certainly not those owned by street-car
magnates, or railway corporations, or
Standard Oil monopolists. And the number
" THESE Is not lnCOnSlCerdDle.
Il know OF at least a MALT dozen cities
III. Whlch one or more OF the daily neWspa-
pers are owned directly by street car mag
mates. Then there are others owned by
topper kings or multimillionaire dry goods
men or rich bankers. Or (and i claim your
lndulgence), they are avowed party organs,
in which, as Bishop Warburton said, Or
thodoxy is my doxy, heterOdoxy is anoth-
er's doxy.' Now l ask you if, purely as
commercial ventures, any of these Jour
nalists are taking the surest road TO sue
cess! In the newspaper heaven, / pledge
you, the rich man will find it very hard to
enter. You had two conspicuous examples
in this city, when the late Mr.. Gould
bought the World and the late Mr.. Cyru:
Field the Mail and Express.
primarily, to be successful, il must be
q newspaper. After all, few newspapers
have editorial influence. because. you must
ADMIT, few deserve it. And as newspapers
This is the very raisOn d'etre of your pub
LEGATION. You must have a fair perspective
OF the worlds happenings. And your read
er mas a right to expect of you both ac-
curacy and discrimination. You have nc
right to edit your paper with "A pitchfork
nor 10 make OF IL a crazy quilt, in which al
colors and all forms of sensational display
have equal place, and you may shout til
your Mysteries equal in madness one OF
your own front pages, and you cannot con.
vince us that you are making a real sue.
cess.
when quack doctors outrank real scient-
lists, when brass sovereigns pass current
with gold, then, and not till then, will your
turn. come. Wild-eyed Typography does no.
make news, and the people are not fooled
very long with the idea that it does. Not
long since | asked a street urchin in a
Western city how a certain newspaper sold
Not so good, he replied. The folks is or
to 1t. It's a con. paper. You sees a big
black head and you thinks there's some
thing, but you buys ii and they amt moth
ing. Then you don't buy it any more
Mr.. Greeley once said: Get the sub
s~cribers and all other things will follow.
So, viewed simply from the commercial.
side. news should be given first place and
advertising should always be secondary
Your news should always be printed as
news and your advertising as advertising
Believe me, the public are not fools. They
know ii when you print paid reading mat
ter quite as well as you do. And they
know when you put a baking powder 'ad.
up at the top of two columns and run read
ing matter at the side and under ii that yoI
wouldn't do IL If you could afford to refuse
it, They recognize the flag of distress, and
While they are sorry for your misfortune
they recognize that it is a good place to &c
for lower rates or special positions. But,
says a publisher plaintively, that's al
right for a strong paper. Some day L hope
to be able to do it, Never, my friend
First, establish one price, and proper, ra
tional rules respecting positions. and it will
bring respect and business. i could tell yol
of one paper that built a very large adver
Using business in the teeth of the stronges
competition by closely adhering to thes,
rules.
"They are so obviously correct rules o.
business that 1t is amazing so few adher,
TO them. OF course, the mad race TO ge
rich quick which is manifest everywher,
and i'm all lines has much to do with it. Bu
unfortunately this plan for getting rich
by printing paid reading matter, by cuttinS
advertising rates, by giving un~reasonabl.
positions to advertiserS-doeS not work out
The advertiser who gets a concession from
you brags of il, and. like the woman D
damaged reputation, you go down and dow
until you come TO the great river which
has brought peace to so many journalist,
unfOrtunates.
mo, good friends, every newspaper
wears its heart on its sleeve. 1t deceive,
no one very long. If 1t be reckless ans
inaccurate and sensational the people fine
il out very soon and il will not succeed. 1
is not true in the long run that people low
to be ~humbugged. If in its counting room
ii adopts unbusinesslike methods they ar,
sure to be found out and end in grief. Hon
esty is the best policy. Sell your advertis
ing at a fixed rate. brand it all plainly a
advertising. subordinate it to the news. an'
be honest and reasonably intelligent in tn,
presentation of the news, and your editoria
columns stand earnestly and vigorously 70
whatsoever things are true. whatsoeve
things are honest, whatsoever things ar
just. whatsoever things are pure. whatso