Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-07-16

THINK they know more than the edit
or and publisher himself does, are
those who never publish a newspaper
Or who do not have to rustic to earn
and collect the money to pay the
steady, everlasting and heavy ex-
pense of publishing it. There are al
so whole lot of mistaken ideas and
notions upon the part of the general
public concerning what they are
pleased to consider the duty of a
newspaper publisher toward the pub
lie. Many merchants, business men and
the very dear public generally, SER
iouslys entertain the idea thatta news
paper is an entirely different business
proposition from that of anyjnother
business, calling or vocation. They
really believe that the true mission
of newspaper is to freely offer itself
as a public pack horse and free omni-
bus for the special convenience of
everybody who may have a hobby to
ride or exploit, an axe to grind, a
personal or business enterprise to
further, and allSat the expense of the
publisher. It Is undoubtedly the duty
every citizen to contribute some
thing in the way of time, money or
its equivalent, toward the advance
ment of the general interests and
welfare of the community, but it is
only fair that each person should
contribute only his just proportion
of the obligation. 1t is a fact, never
theless, that more is expected and
exacted from newspaper than from
any other class of business men or
citizens, and perhaps the newspap-
ers themselves are to blame for hav-
ing permitted the opinion to obtain.
There is no business which for. the
time, energy, capital invested, and
downright hard work, which Yields
as little profit or financial return as
that of publishing a newspaper, big
or little. Every line of type set, ev-
cry sheet of papa- printed, costs
money, time and labor, and yet the
community, especially in the smaller
towns, has been educated to believe
that the editor and publisher has an
ever yearning desire for something
to fill up his paper with They do
not, however, consider that the most
important thing which, he needs is
some hard cash to fill his money till.
from which on Saturday night. he
may pay his printers, and at the end
of the month pay his paper and type
bills, to say nothing Of the scores
of current expense accounts and his
own living bills. They quite utterly
fail to differentiate between what
constitutes news" for which they
pay the price of their newspaper
subscription, and what constitutes
advertising" which is solely for the
benefit of themselves individuality or
OF the community collectively. When
ever an item or an article is handed
in for publication, the effect of which
Is designed to bring some pecuniary
benefit, Or some pleasure, or some
return, to the individual in question,
or to number of persons collective
ly, then that item or article should
as pure matter of business, be paid
for. If the subject matter is some
thing in the way of general news
Which subscribers have the right to
expect, and for which they pay their
subscription money, that is different.
The newspapers are continually CON
tributing toward the up-building and
advancement of the community by
advancing the hundred-and-one pub
lie enterprises which go toward the
betterment of the community and
society, and yet after the publisher
has paid out Of his own pocket for
the setting of type and the printing
Of the paper, he is rarely or never
sighted when a subscription paper
is passed around. i
But we have quite got off the track
from something we started out to
say when we commenced this article.
We want to give expression to- our
ideas concerning what we consider to
be some erroneous ideas about the
mission of a newspaper. First, we
desire to emphatica1ly impress upon
the minds of the general public that
1t costs heap of money to publish
newspaper. Next. that in order to
continue in business 1t is absolutely
necessary to have a cash income.
Now merchant sells wares and mer-
chandise. with a profit added, to
make a living. A professional man
sells his knowledge of his profession
or calling. A mechanic or laberer
sells his labor. A newspaper pub
fisher has just two things to SELL
f-5 y