Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-15
PROJECTING rupLro INTERESTS.
Fearless Publication OF News Upheld
by lows Courts.
oskaloosa tIa-) Herald.

Oskaloosa tIa) Herald.
The great care exercised by the average
editor in verifying his news reports and
making his published statements absolutely
accurate is a phase Of newspaper work lit
tie understood by the general public. No
one who has not served a veterans career
behind the scenes Of the business OF news
paper publishing can have any conception
OF the diligence and constant care exercised
by newspaper men to make their every
statement absolutely true in fact.
All the Information contained in an aver
age newspaper. aggregating In volume
every two days the size Of an ordinary 35o-
page book, has to be ferreted out, reported.
edited, set into type and published within
an average wording day, and yet the per-
centage Of mistakes to the total number of
accuracies, II known, would make the aver
age critic Of a newspaper ashamed OF him
self.
II must have been with some idea Of this
situation in his mind that Judge Burnham.
in ruling upon a motion to direct a verdict
for the newspaper in q libel suit against
the Oskaloosa Times-Republican, sdl
at is the duty of a newspaper man. when
he conducts and publishes a newspaper, to
give the news to the public and, II II is
ubA6 III kbou AAANh aho ANhOh MI Va
intention to wrong or injure another, IL II
is substantially correct. Il "a conditionally
privileged and. therefore. there is no liza
bility on the part Of the publisher to one
who claims he is wronged In a suit against
them for damages, and II this paper has
ever done a good service, IL seems to me
II has in this matter"
Since man has begun to live in organized
society the acts of his neighbor and the
doings Of the Individual have become mat
tiers of legitimate concern to the public in
sofar as such acts could or would have a
material effect upon the welfare or inter-
ests Of others, and It has long been held
by courts that a newspaper, engaged In the
business of publishing news, not only has q
conditional privilege to publish facts Of
public concern about individuals, but haf
a distinct duty to perform which places
upon It an express obligation to keep the
public so Informed, in common parlance, ia
print the news.
The Legitimate performance Of this duty
when fearlessly done, becomes a public
service of Unreasonable value in the pro.
lection Of private interests and persona.
welfare upon every side.
In this particular case Of the publications
complained of the distinct public service
OF the newspaper was aDly set IorIn Dy Lnt
court when II said:
Now the charges that were made
against this plaintiff had been circulated
broadcast throughout that community be-
fore these publications. 1t did not seen
to have affected either him or his business
very materially, until It came out in the
newspaper. Then, when the same fact
that had been known to everyone we're pub
lished in this newspaper, from that mo
ment it seems to ave put a check upol
his somewhat wild and mad career and, al
he claims, damage has resulted to him
Consequently, in this particular case, tn,
newspaper has served the public in a wa!
that is very creditable to it and a protec
ton to that community"