Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-04-03

many a fool win retain the FIRST I'M
preston, as scientific dlctum.
Mistakes of this kind are generally
due to the reporter, who too often
makes up readable story" with a
few facts for nucleus, instead OF Civ
Ing straight account OF something
actually said or done. That an inlus-
tice, by this means Is perpetrated on
the public, as well as on the person
whose words, or actions, are mlsrep-
resented, is hardly ever considered.
Very often there 10 some excuse for
the inaccuracies by which prominent
persons are mlsrepresented, and the
public deceived. Reporters do not al
ways deliberately invent stories, Many
OF their shortcomings are really due to
haste, or to ignorance. Sometimes,
however, the journalists OF our day,
knowing the power falsehood temper
arily exerts upon the unthlnking mass
es, deliberately avail themselves OF that
despicabe means to gain their own
selfish ends. They folslfy knowingly
and methodicaly; perhaps to inname
public sentiment against persons whom
they In no other way can reach; per-
haps to lnjure public interests to fur
Their their own. There Is no excuse for
this kind Of Journalism. Those who
engage In It are public enemies.
An encouraging sign OF our time Is
the sincere protests made lately against
the abuse OF the press, for pur-
loses OF sensatlonallsm, as well as
deception, Such protests indicate an
awakening OF the public conscience, TO
a realization OF the dangers threatens
Ing, and gives promise OF some way OF
escape.
We have noticed the series Of articles
on yellow Journalism" which APP
peared In Public Opinion, exposing the
INSCRIPTIONS methods of those who
deal IN that kind OF literary fraud. The
St. Paul Globe OF recent date calls at
tention to the saffron coored features
OF the magazines. The magazines, says
the Globe, have gone mad" In proof
OF this proposition our contemporary
points out that one magazine Is devot-
ed to the denunciation OF the System"
In finance; another clamors about the
evils of wealth and demands that the
rich give over buying $4,000 sable coats
and spend the money for coal for the
poor. One writer shrieks about the
iniquitles Of the trust; another shows
how the country Is being debauched by
the Importation OF foreign criminals;
the shame OF some city Is exploited
by one space writer and wher all other
subjects fail, there always is some un-
happy individual momentarily In the
public eye, who can be dissected IN
public, to the Infinite satisfaction OF
rabble. The Globe observes;
And the truculent rot written in
the name of studies in social conditions
is varied In spots by fiction that deals
with the dolngs OF some modern Grim
inal whose evolution has gone beyond
the mask, the dark lantern and the
bludgeon, or going TO the other ex-
IRENE, drlvelB through rapid sentences
TO an unconvincing impressionistc pic
ture. There are some partly sane pub
licatlons OF course, but the conserva-
tive magazines, having suffered tenn
porarily by the competition OF the
cheap ones, are not much better Just
now than those to whose levels they
have been brought down."
These observations are but too true.
but the awakening OF the public Is
promising sign OF a return to morally
healthier conditions. A few strong
leaders in the right direction would
have a powerful influence for good.