Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-11-17
FAKE" JOURNALISM,
"salt Lake city, Nov. Is, 10

salt Lake 'ltyi NOV 10, l'vo'
Editor Deserot News.
In reading the account of 'MOrten-
sens case In last nights News the
statement of Attorney G. r. Stewart
that whole pages In the papers OF pur-
ported interviews with Mortensen were
TO Mr.. Stewards personal knowledge
wholly false Is n terrible accusation.
And when II is known that Mr..
Stewart Is "A man OF such integrity OF
character that his word cannot be
doubted, what opinion can the people
have OF the worth Of the public press,
when even man who is being triad
for his life cannot receive justice
through It's columns.
Truth must be the foundation of our
lives. OF our characters. and the peo-
pie have a right TO demsnd this from
those who In public positions are sup
posed and TO a great extent do, mold
the thought and tendency OF the people.
'Oh, it's only newspaper talk, utter
ed with the greatest degree of sarcasm,
is statement that is very, very fire.
auently heard nowadays, But II Is
hard to believe that men in positions Of
such honor and trust can resort to such
Infamous measures for a few paltry
cents.
when whole pages are shown to be
lies what are we TO believe about the
rest? There can be nothing more
dwarfing to life and progress than
falsehood therefore cannot the public
have some assurance that what Is
printed In the daily papers Is not pre-
meditated lies. Should not the pub
fishers be compelled to label these fab
relations, as the grocer does his oleo-
margarine. For should not our spirit
unl and educational food he as clean
op1 MIRO ~ pttr pbNgippl euDnlNp
Yours for truth and justice
SUBSCRIBERS
We publish the foregoing letter in or
der to cali attention to the kind of
journalism that Is conducted by some of
our contemporaries. and 20 enter our
protest, once more, against the prac-
iice complained Of. our correspondent
Is not quite accurate in attempting to
quote from our report of the remarks
Of the attorney. Here Is what the
News" gave as the substance of the
sentleman's objections
'In speaking of public prejudice in
this case, Mr. stewart said that there
had been Interview after interview in
the morning papers purportod TO be- had
with the defendant which We're abso-
lutely false 10 his own knowledge, ON
one occasion he said a reporter called
at the state prison TO see Mortensen
and the latter refused TO see him a.
ALL Notwithstanding that fact, he
said, the reporter had whole column
interview In the paper with Mortenscn,
all Of which was absolutely false
It viii be seen by comparison that 1t
Is "A mistake to state that Mr. stewart
said whole pages In the papers Of
Iurported Interviews with Mortensen
We're false" It is also Incorrect to state
that the News so reported him. The
fact is, however, Mr., Stewart did af-
firm that purported interviews with
Mortensen that had been published
were wholly false. This charge does
not apply to the Deseret News.
The so-calIed fake" interview is
not new to sensational journalism,
nor by any means peculiar to some
salt Lake papers, Instances OF the
Kind have been frequently exposed,
here and elsewhere, 1t IL newspaper
abomnation. IL Is form Of vicious
wholesale lying, IL deceiyes thousands
Of readers at one telling,
The fake" reporter is usually bam-
ed for II and for luTid stories without
truthful foundation, for distortions Of
public utterances, for exposures Of
private affairs, ard for terrible tales
either monstrousy exaggerated or
wholly untrue, that appear in papers
which make practice of startling the
public. regardless of honor ana relia-
bnity But Justly, the chief fault lies
With the management that requires re-
raters to get a story and FIX az
something attractive no matter wheth-
err IT is right or wrong.
The mischief about Il Is, that even
n the errors are contradlcted or apollo
gized for-and that does not often oc-
our--the first impression made on tn.
public mind usually remains Nam
persons who see the falsehood do moi
notice its correction, or II they do, may
pay but small attention to II, or trea
Il with measure of Incredibly Mel
whose employment depends upon thei
getting "a story" and painting Il up Ii
giaring coors, will use their inventive
faculties when they fail on facts Thu
concern that practices that sort o