Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-02-13

publishes It. We are no more respon.
slble for the Thaw trial than we were
for the San Francisco earthquake or
the Jamaica disaster. We described
both as we'll as we could. That is
our business,
or old the cry was, How shall they
hear without a preacher" Now the
| question is, How they shall learn
without the newspaper" The news
! paper discharges the functions that
was delegated to the altar. the church
door. the market place, the city gate
and town crier. 1t Is the great edu
cation OF the twentieth century.
There Is no force compared with IT
and yot with all its power 1t cannot
I combat successfully with human de.
for time, but II cannot effectually
| change them anymore than the spots
| on the leopard can tie. II is one of
the trials of the publishers of what is
known as n clean newspaper that the
people demand moral slush instead
of healthy and intellectual food. Take
the case of the average respectable
| intelligent man who opens his morn.
ing or evening paper He sees two
or three columns of editorial recon-
mending some moral sentiment or
evolving some scientific authority. On
the next page there is case OF the
Thaw type. Which do you read first?
You dip into the editorial long enough
to say something about It's being well
written, and you have read the slush
from the screaming top line to the
last paragraph. Oh. 1t Is only case
OF supply and demand.
1t Is the business of the newspaper
to study the wants of the people and
one OF tho main requirements of the
vocation is to know news" and the
publishers throughout the country do
know what the people desire. If the
world bought nothing but pure honest
and healthful newspapers, nothing but
pure, honest and healthful newspapers
would be published. AS long MS there
is an Ubiquitous demand there will
he an ubiquitous supply. The Daily
Press Is not making an apology for
the debauched press" but Is saying
these things in order to divide the re-
sponsibility between those who print
and those who read.
The Daily Press has not sought to
cmbellish it's accounts OF the Thnw
trial by making use Of the services of
| such special correspondents as are
| known In New York rs members of
the sympathy" and "Pnthos" squads,
nor have we employed any illustra-
lions calling attention to the stories.
| We have published the news, In as
delicate form rs possible; that is
ALL The newspaper must give the
| lows OF the day--the bad as well as
the good, the disagreeablc along with
| the agreeable; otherwise 1t cannot
exist. Make men perfect today. and
the newspaper will be perfect tomor-
row. but no Uptopian press at this
| time, when society is constituted as
1t Is. You cannot destroy the Image
In the mirror by smashing the mir
ror and you cannot make the world
better by ignoring its frailties. There
is wide divergence Of opinion, it is
true as to the effect of publicity in
cases like this and criminal matters
i'll general. Some very well-informet
students of sociology believe that
reasonable publicity operates as a de.
torrent influence upon the crimnally
inclined and those unfortunates whose
mental and moral weakencsses tend
to make them a prey for designing
scoundrels. BE this MS it may, day
newspaper is compelled, by str, liz
obligation to its readers. to publish
the news of the day. Just what con,
stitutcs the news of the day, and the
proper handling of the same. are, of
course other questions. 1t seems to
us. however. that in view Of The prom.
inence of the persons Involved, tho
widespread interest in TIC case and
the proper demands of n very largo
majority Of our readers. the handling
of tho Thaw trial by the Daily Press
has been discreet. conservative and
entirely in keeping with the ethics of
the best type Of daily journalism.
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