The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-04-12
; Journalism and Good Ethics. =

n
Paper Read Before the Cha,itauqua Circle. !,
IN A country like ours, where the
sovereignty is vested in the people,
public opinion is the motive power
which causes all actions undertaken
for the veal and woe of the common
wealth. To a great extent, public
opinion is modelled, and even created,
by newspaper articles, and this is the t
reason why the public press is one of
the greatest factors in shaping the des-
tiny of our country.
The more diversified the news, aims
and politics of the press of country
are, the safer it is for the welfare of
the people. Let us suppose that
all the newspapers of our country
would follow one and the same tend
ency. Then all readers would be in
fiuenced alike, and the large majority
would succumb to this influence and
act accordingly. 1t such were the case,
then the public press would be an alb
solute despotism, and would sway our
actions at its own sweet will, which
will would then be paramount to q
dictate. Even now, q paper which en-
joys a very large circulation, has it in
its power to do vast amount of good
or of harm. Not counting mere
elementary education, nine-tenths of
our population derive their knowledge
of politics and of the general affairs of
the world almost exclusively from
the reading of newspaper articles. A
knowledge thus gained, tho much bet
ter than none at all, is very defective
and of questionable value, because the
reader is unduly Influenced by the tone
of his fsvorite paper. He may not be
willing to acknowledge the fact, but it
is true nevertheless, that in the long
run he will act pretty nearly as he has
been taught by the articles.
The profession of journalist, there
fore, is as important as it is far-reach-
ing. Whether it is also honorable
depends solely on the individuality of
the journalist, and has nothing what
ever to do with his ability as writer.
We frequently hear the remark that
Journalists have deteriorated, and that
such men asJames Gorden Bennett, Jr.,
Charles Dana, Horace Greeley, George
w. Childs, Joseph Medill, John M
Collough and a few others, have not
been replaced by worthy successors
That is an error. All the men named
except Childs and Medill, gained prom
inence not only by superior journalistic
ability, but also by bold and merciles'
newspaper attacks on everything op
posed to the views of themselves an(
their political adherents. What coul(
be done with impunity forty and fift!
years ago, has become utterly impossi
BILE now, and none Of those men coalt
today enter the journalistic arena witt
the hope to repeat the success whicl
made them celebrated.
The style of our newspapers ha
greatly changed within the last tw
decades. The introduction Of doubt
full illustrations is much to be deploref
These pictures but rarely represent
correct view of the objects in question
and most of them thank their origi
to the fantastic brain of the ILLUSTRATOR
The so-called funny sheets OF th
Sunday papers are absolute fright
not calculated to produce humor in a
intelligent person. The fault lies wit
that large class of readers who tur
to these funny sheets first of all. Yo
can observe them doing so at an
news stand on Sunday mornings. The
want to see what Cluster Brown
"Happy Hooligsn," or those naugh'
aKatzenjammer Kids" have been doir
during the week. It is decidedly bs
taste; but what can you expectr II
papers want to sell as many copies
possible, and there can be no dou
but that the illustrations and funl
sheets have contributed to enormous
enlarge the calculations. In the est
ern states change for the better
already perceptible. Some Of the be
papers do not use illustrations. and y
are doing exceedingly>well. The mo