The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-12-02
SURPRISING THE NEWS.

A large number of people hold the
idea that the chief anxiety of news
paper office is to find something Ito
fill the paper" 1t is hardly neces-
sary to say that the chief business of
a newspaper is to obtain the news,
and that the gathering of the news
and the quality of the news to be
gathered constitute the daily task
of the editorial department of news
paper. Contrary to the opinion wide
ly held, the people who make the
paper do not have daily fear that
there will not be sufficient material
with which to fill the paper, but there
is such an abundance of readable mat
ter available that the problem is to
determine what must be rejected
One of the most difficult and I'M
pleasant tasks that come to a news
paper man is in connection with the
request to suppress news, and in con-
nection with this important subject
the Rutland Herald has commented
in a manner so admirable that the
editorial is printed in full herewith
Please Don't Print My Name"
Hardly day goes by in a news
paper office without the above request
being made in all the various degrees
of entreaty, threat and attempted bri-
berry. Few people have any idea OF
the pressure that is brought to bear
on editors and reporters by those
who have come into the public eye
either by misfortune, wrong doing OF
environment, and who wish to conceal
their deeds or the deeds of those close
to them by an attempted suppression
of the news.
Such people never seem to realize
| Cd that the newspaper is not respon.
sible for their situation, (2), that il
would be dishonest if it were to sup.
press news, and CD that it could moi
suppress the news if it were so dis
posed. Another factor should be add
ed-that publicity is part of the pen
atty for wrong doing and is thorough
| ly considered by officers and courts
in dealing with petty offences.
"The thing for such people to do il
| to keep out of public scrapes. WheI
! man of good antecedents, eXcellen
family and exceptional opportunities
for example, gets publicly and riot
ously drunk, is arrested and fined il
police court next day, it is not thu
newspapers fault if the story printed
in the next paper brings sorrow an,
bitter pain to that family;it is thu
fault of the man who gets drunk.
IF a newspaper Systematically ac
coded to all requests to spare m,
poor mother or don't let my sister
know about this it's news woul,
shortly be limited to Associated Pres
dispatches and the notices of churche
and theaters. The readers have pai
for the news and they are entitled t
what they have purchased. Further
more, if publicity were suppressed il
these cases, half the disgrace @
wrong doing would be removed
the opinion of those who do not ap
preciate the moral wrong - and al
sorts OF recklessness and publi
ribaldry would be undertaken.
THE offenders name in the pape
is feature of the morning after an
is particularly wholesome.
"As a matter of fact, news canno
be suppressed without distinct, OF
ganized conspiracy, Every local pape
must be included in the agreement t
suppress, every correspondent 10
outside papers must be taken int
confidence and sworn to secrec!
, something that is probably as impos
sible as gathering the winds of tn
morning into a paper bag.
, Beside all that, it would be dis
graceful and dishonest, a plain cor
spiracy, to defraud a large numbe
of people of something they hav
bought and paid for.
$50 don't blame the reporter or b'
seech the editor If you get into trol
Bile. Blame yourself, pull youself t'
gether and do better
The Herald states the case fairl
and forcefully. The great probleI
for the newspaper is to treat all me
alike. There Is no sort OF fairnef