Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1905-10-21

have dealt more in facts and less in
headlines. But the deadly microbe OF
saffron-hued journalism seems to have
spread to some of the papers which
have been considered wise and relia
BILE. And, to cap the climax, the good,
one-time reliable Associated Press has
taken to the same line of conduct.
The dear old Associated Press!
which we have been accustomed to
look upon as the apotheosis of all that
was fair and conservative and relia-
BILE; a concern which had all the SEN
sation of Patent Office report, and
the literary merit of page from the
city directory, a gathering ma
chine, and a pretty good one at that;
to be sure, not to be compared with
Mr.. Benefits multi-brainpowered
racer, which has always been able to
give the "A. p" double discount in the
matter of news-getting; but good,
dependable old news-delivery wagon,
whose solid tires did not puncture and
whose cylinders were always to be re-
lied upon for reasonable speed. But
to see the yellow, sensational way in
which the revered old "A. p" has been
handling this insurance matter! Why,
it is as If your grandmother should
take to rouging her cheeks or your
maiden aunt should peroxide her hair.
OF course, none of us expect the AS
ISOLATED Press to tell us all the news;
we don't expect her to send out YER
batim reports of the doings of the in.
vestigating committee-which is by
all odds the most important matter
before the public, and we don't expect
verbatim reports, because we, as news
paper men, know that the out-of-town
paper has got to leave space for the
])cal news which appeals to the pub
lie as the editor sees it; but the pa
pers do expect fair reports, the good
as well as the bad. They don't need
the Associated Press opinions. What
he papers should have are facts, and
,ney don't get them. The newspapers
can make their opinions for them
selves. Honestly, do not believe that
the good old "A. p" is altogether to
lame. The men they have had cov-
ering the investigation have been in
luenced-perhaps unconsciously-b
some of the New York papers, and
really the wonder is that they have
been as fair as they are. Graft, graft,
graft has been shouted so persistently
by some of the irresponsible
l0cal sheets that it is, perhaps, not to
be wondered at that the "A. p" has
taken the cue and carefully selected
the graft" idea, to the detriment of
a fair report.
1t is so much more news to show
an honest and respected citizen as
son-of-a-gun than to admit that he may
have made a mistake in Judgment. or
possibly have overstepped his limit
OF discretion. 1t is more sensational,
and what we want is more sensation.
| propose to take this matter up
more seriously -possibly-more
convincingly, in the future. Maybe
from over-reading of yellow journals
and Associated Press reports | have
become infected and have uncon-
sciously, drifted into their style. 1t
may interest some of my out-of-town
readers to know that several, not one
but number of the cleverest New
York lawyers, have been following the
reports of the insurance investigation
with a view to possible libel suits, and
] can assure them that | have. in nv
safe, proof sufficient to convict a good
ly number of the papers which have
been printing the Associated Press re.
ports, of libel of the grossest and most
unmitigated kind. don't mean papers
like the New York Journal and Amer.
Iican which Duh1ishes Ghal iuc+ g., Al,