The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-12-27
THE YELLOW NEWSPAPER.
The Scandal Of Criminal Journalism-Cor-
rectiOn Needed.

The Scandal Of Criminal Journalism-Cor-
| rection Needed.
We don't know just how it will be
done, but we predict that it will be
done. The day will come, and we pre-
dict further that it will come soon,
when the sleek and dignifed proprietor
OF some American newspaper with a
pretty big circulation, bigger adver-
Using PATRONAGE large share of which
| is derived from crime of one kind or
| another-and bragg and bluff that
are bigger than circulation and adver-
Using put together, will be hustled off
to his own place to stay there for five
or ten years. That ''place," we presume
our readers understand, is the State
prison.
The scandal of a great deal of our
American journalism has become too
grieyous to be borne tamely much long
er. Neither the reputation of worthy
! men nor the virtue of pure women is
any longer safe from the bloodhounds
of gang of newspaper thugs, fully
half of whom are millionaires, and
some of whom pose as philanthropists.
AS observers of what is doing around
about US, we are looking to see what
will happen when one of these beasts
of prey Inadvertently attacks the home
of person unexpectedly powerful,
with good tiger fighting blood in him,
who will turn and take the bloodhound
by the throat. The thing is bound to
happen as surely as the world turns
around. The sooner the better.
A few days ago a lady widely known
for her interest in education, trustee
of one of the leading colleges for Wo-
men, told the story of her personal ex-
perience with one of these defamers of
character. Assuming that she stated
the whole truth and nothing else, the
newspaper that lied about her did so
wantonly, in full possession of the
actual facts. Cash damages amounting
to $1,000 were paid and accepted. That
this lady should have compromised so
easily we think was most unfortunate
for the interests of society. She should
have pushed her case until somebody
was landed behind prison bars.
1t is disappointing that the victims
of criminal journalism have thus far
submitted so tamely to these outrages.
1t is yet more Disappointing that repu-
table newspapers have not unitedly
taken action, within their competence,
to drive from the community the crea-
lures that are making great profess
sion by-word and a curse to the
American people. There is no more
reason why the men who control news
papers that are both decent and pow
erful, and control also the avenues
through which news is obtained, should
not ''clean up" their environment as
effectually as the vigilants of Califor-
MIA and of Montana cleaned up theirs
in the days of the cut-throat gangs. 1t
would not be necessary to resort to
midnight lynchings in order to achieve
this end.
We wish to put it straight to the pro-
prietors and editors of journals like the
New York Sun, the Times, the Tribune,
and the Evening Post, the Chicago Trlb
une and Record Herald, and score OF
other journals both powerful and repu-
table, covering every part OF the Amerl-
can Union. Do you see no way to bring
your forces unitedly to bear to stamp
out this infamous evil? Are you doing
absolutely all that you can do to hold
your own reporters and editorial writer's
to high and strict standard of honor?
If you are, is there nothing else that
you can resort to? You are supposed
to voice the opinion and the conscience
OF the American people. And you must
know by now that opinion and that
conscience are getting very tired of
this disgraceful buccaneering conducted
under the flag Of liberty Of the press.
In our own humble way we have various
means of testing the public temper, and
we assure you that unless you express
and represent it i'll this matter it will
find some other way to make itself felt.
''Its up to you,' gentlemen, to do
something, and do it soon.-The indie
pendent.