Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-27
THE YELLOW NEWSPAPER
The Scandal Of Criminal Journalism
Correction Needed.

From the Independent.
We don't know just how it win be done.
but we predict that it will be done. The
day will come. and we predict further that
1t will come soon. when the sleek and dig
nified proprietor Of some American news
paper with a pretty big circulation. q big
ger advertising PATRONAGE large share OF
which Is derived from crime Of one kind or
another-and brag and q bluff that are
bigger than circulation and advertising put
together. will be hustled off to his own
place to stay there for Ave or ten years.
That place." we presume our readers un-
derstand. Is the state prison.
The scandal of q great deal of our
American Journalism has become too sriev-
GUS to be borne tamely much longer.
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
philanthroptsts. 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 lady widely known for
her interest in education. a trustee Of one
of the leading colleges for women, told the
SlOTy OIL neT personal experience WIFI Oh6
Of these defamers of character. Assuming
that she stated the whole truth and moth
ing else. the newspaper that lied about her
did SO wantonly, in full possession OF the
5000 were paid and accepted. That this
lady should have compromised so easily we
think was most unfortunate for the in
terests 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 sub
united SO tamely to these outrages. It Is
yet more disappointing that reputable news
papers have not unitedly taken action. with
in their competence, to drive from the
community the creatures that are making
a great profession a 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 powerful,
and control also the avenues through which
news is obtained, should not clean up"
ilants of California and of Montana cleaned
UP theirs in the days OF the cutthroat
gangs. It would not be necessary to re-
sort 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 Tribune
Journals both powerful and reputable, COW
ering every part Of the American Union.
Do you see no way to bring, your forces
unitedly to bear to stamp out this In
famous evil7 Are you doing absolutely all
that you can do to hold your own reporters
and editorial writer's to a high. and strict
standard Of honor? II you are, Is there
nothing else that you can resort tor 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 disgrnceful buccaneering conducted
,1~r co. - NJ ttnU -
our own humble way we have various
means OF testing the public temper. and We
assure you that unless you express and
represent 1t in this matter 1t will find some
other way to make itself felt.
ITS up to you." gentlemen. to do some
thing, and do It soon.