Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-06-26

it's news columns, and the reporter,
while arranging his story in the most
attractive form possible and to bring
out prominently the principal features.
Is careful that the facts are in no way
misrepresented. But the reporter,
while never forgetting his duty to his
paper and Its readers. also has sense
of higher responsibility in the gather
ing and preparing of news. An illus
tration of the ignoring Of rigid rule
to aid the ends Of Justice and save the
life of child was the recent publica-
ton of a fake story" by all the news
papers Of Philadelphia in connection
with the Freddie Muth kidnapping
case.
Soon after the s-year-old boy was
kidnapped the police obtained a clew
to the identity of the kidnapper. The
reporters learned Of the fact and be-
gan to hint that the police were hot
on the trail. Almost instantly the
clew vanished. The kidnapper sent
letter in which he threatened the child
with death and himself with suicide
If the police closed in on him any
closer.
The superintendent telephoned to
every night city editor in Philadelphia
and asked them to come to the city
hall. He took them into his confidence
and told them all that the police knew
regarding the case. Each man was in
honor bound not to write 1t or talk
about 1t. There could be no leak IL
the boy was to be saved. For several
days stories Of the kind that are
known to the profession as "hot air"
were printed. Then the aid of the
newspaper men was again asked. Muth
had received another letter from the
kidnapper in which he indicated that
the boy was as good as dead unless the
police were called off at once. Muth
had promised to stand for anything.
He wanted his boy. The reporters
were asked to deliberately deceive
their readers and not man hesitated
to pledge his paper in such a cause.
Every morning paper in Philadel-
phia printed story to the effect that
Muth had broken down and confessed
that his boy had never been kidnapped
at all. Muth found himself an object
of scorn and ridicule, but he stood It
like stole. The flake" served its
purpose. The kidnapper, getting the
morning paper believed that his in
structions had been carried out. He
peeped from his hiding place and was
captured at 2 o'clock the same after.
noon and the following day indicted,
tried, convicted and sentenced to
twenty years in prison.
For week stories were printed
which the writer's knew did not give
the full facts of the case and the
fake" was deliberate misrepresenta-
ton. The newspaper men and the po-
lice knew the character of the kid
naper. They knew that he would
probably not hesitate to carry out his
threat to kill the boy and himself II
he saw the coils Tightening. Not a
reporter refused to give his aid In the
only plan that promised success. The
case is an exceptional one, but it IL.
lustrates the problem of what to pub
lish and what not to publish that fire.
quently confronts the newspaper men,
II 1t had been question of personal
gain the proposition would not have
been considered, but with the life of
child and the capture of desperate
criminal at stake they were unanimous
In the opinion that they were doing
the right thing. OF course some peo-
pie will say that the truth should have
been published at any cost, even
though 1t did result in murder. How.
ever, there are not many who will
take that view.