The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-06-11
ABOUT NEWSPAPERS.

The Ketch.kan Journal Is very credit able liule country plper and ls deserving of all the nlce things it says about itself. |, Is run on the regulation plan tO. country plpers, as developed about a hilf century ago V hen the Washington hand press w.S young. and like lts great army Of prseedes- sors, lt Is long on editorial Stutf and sho,t on news stories. And, let lt be frankly admitted, lts editorial stuff Is good, strong and we'll considered. 10 l' making a good light for territorial government, and iis sledge hammer blows delivered in the cause of self govenmentpre welcomed by the Daily Alaskan, which leld ott in the 6gh, nearly three ysars ago. But not wlthstlndIng lts editorial ability ihe Journal cannot appreciate news and the modem way oi handling it.
 On more than one occasion the Journal Als criilzed the Dilly Alaskan toT ieatui- ing lts news. lt cannot see the purpose of comprehensive headlines In display tyre and assumes they are used for padding Referring Co a recent Issue of the Daily Alaskan. the Journal called attention to the number of Inches Cf space used for headlines and salj oi the news natter
 Not a single Item ot which was of suficlsn, import1nce Co justify more than a single line caption, and a part of which was double leltet.
 Now. To the first place, the Daily Alaskan suomlis than any editor IS better quail cd Co plSs upon the value vi a news story ln hls field than Is a ran who IS entirely unlrlulintei in thlt field, FJr Instance, the Journal criticised the Diilv Alaskan for displaying the information that the rlilrold hli sent out I6clr loads Of freight the night before. Of course, the editor ot the Journal dii not know that that story emphasized the fact Co the Skagwav, White Horse and Yukon rs1ters of thIS paper that the frelgh,iag ssaSon was really on. To proceed further along this line, among the news S'oIIsS featured by the Daily Alaskan. which the Kcichi- kan paper says were not worth more than a one line caption, was the information that the first boat of the season had plSset through Lake Ll Blrgs; that Sk1gwav athletes had won many prizes at the first international athletic meet that had ever taken plsce at the North; and the first publication of the news that the federal officials were going Co compel the business men of ALSkl Co submit theII books 10 the inspection of the clerk that he might determine as Co whether Or not a sufficient license tax was being paid. Now the Daily AlaSSln Is willing t0 submit Co any real newspaper mn ths question as Co whether or n,t the Journal has not ccn- fsssed self out of the discussion.
 The headline problem Is one Co which managing editors have given mu b aitsn- |. too. I Is concsled to be one of ,hs most important matters connected with the business gi pur ewing news. The m'nag- Ing editor who slIi that a newspapers headllies corre,pontei Co the show win dows of a store, spoke Co the point. Had the Jolull attacked the mercnlnts Ct S<agway and Junelu for displaying their wares Instead of attacking The Daily Alaskan for displaying les news, lt would have been as nearly within reason. Tie Journal could lelrn something about hanil- Ing news by observing the policy of iis Rtvertlsers. There Is just as mlnv reasons for displaying news as for displaying ad- vertlsementS Wherever newspapers have tried It the result has been an enlarged cir- culltlon,
 But the Journal has another flul; Co find with The Daily Alaskan. We do not run enough editorial stuff to sui, 10 To this accusation we have only to siy that The Daily Alaskan Is a newSp per and i,s first obligation Is to publish the news. lis readers have a right Co demand this much The pc iple ein think for themselves, but they cannot ther the news and that is why thev buy daily papers. In this re- spect a daily paper differs from a weekly. A weekly paper Is supposed Co review the news, while a dallY's duty Is to record it. The Daily AlrSkan has not an unlimited capiclty like a metropolitan paper, and SO long ss lt must occasionally sacrifice some thing, the news columns VIII be the last to suffer.